Category: Healthy Break Room Services

Give yourself the gift of a healthy heart this holiday season and celebrate with some delicious dark chocolate — yes, dark chocolate.

We know that diet plays an important role in one’s overall health including the health of the heart. New research has confirmed, yet again, that dark chocolate can be part of a Scottsdale individual’s healthy diet. Study participants who enjoyed chocolate bars three times per month reduced their risk of heart failure by 13 percent when compared to those who ate no chocolate.

Let’s celebrate!

But don’t go overboard. The same study found that participants who ate chocolate everyday appeared to increase their risk for heart failure by 17 percent. Yikes!

Dr Chayakrit Krittanawong, lead researcher of the study, said, “I believe that chocolate is an important dietary source of flavonoids which are associated with reducing inflammation and increasing good cholesterol…However, chocolate may have high levels of saturated fats. I would say moderate dark chocolate consumption is good for health.”

Chocolate is made from different combinations of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, cocoa bean powder, sugar, and milk powder. For dark chocolate, the first ingredient should be cocoa or chocolate liquor followed by any combination of cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, and cocoa butter. Sugar, a necessary ingredient, is then used to balance the bitter taste of the chocolate. For healthier dark chocolate, sugar should be listed toward the end of the ingredients’ list and always after the cocoa. Cocoa is beneficial for the heart while sugar and any unnecessary fats are damaging.

High quality cocoa, which is found in some dark chocolate, contains flavonoids (flavanols, flavonols (source of the antioxidant qualities), epicatechin and procyanidins) and polyphenols. Flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, improve cognitive function, fight inflammation and oxidative stress — improving blood flow, boost blood vessel health, and improve overall cardiovascular health.

Other ways to help keep your heart healthy include

• maintain a healthy weight
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• select whole grains
• limit unhealthy fats
• reduce the amount of sodium in your food

Maintaining a healthy diet during the holiday season isn’t always the easiest for Scottsdale employees or students. Between work or school, social gatherings, and errands, finding a healthy snack or beverage can be challenging. One way to help them is to provide healthy snack vending machines in visible locations such as the break room or school lunchroom. Our healthy snack vending machines offer

• controlled portion sizes (weight impacts your heart’s health),
• the ability to see the ingredient list and nutrition information for each product and to determine the type and amount of grains, fats, sodium,
• the occasional treat such as dark chocolate, and
• a healthy option when away from home; whether the stop at the vending machine is planned or not.

Do you have a plan to help your Scottsdale employees or students stay healthy this holiday season and through the new year? We’d like to help you customize a solution that meets your and their needs. For more information, please contact Southwest Vending at 623.780.3016. We look forward to hearing from you.

Which break room benefit do your Phoenix employees value the most? The answer might surprise you. It depends on which generation the majority of your employees is from. As of 2017, the Pew Research Center determined that 35 percent of the U.S. labor force were Millennials followed by Generation X at 33 percent. To be a sought after perk in 2018, a break room has to offer what current and potential employees are looking for, and that means understanding what Phoenix Millennials want.

While the age difference between Millennials and Gen Xers may not be very far apart, many Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) came of age during the recession. For a variety reasons, the recession had a strong impact on Millennials and triggered the need to find value in what they purchase. Words that describe a product or brand that convey value to Millennials include “well-priced given the quality,” “reliable,” “high quality,” “trustworthy,” and “loyal to customers.” Next in line are words that indicate social responsibility like “fair-minded,” “ethical,” “moral,” and “transparent.”

Whether the product in question is a piece of clothing, a smartphone, or a snack or beverage purchased from a vending machine or micro-market, value matters. So, how does this generational shift impact your Phoenix break room? Unfortunately, there is no single answer for all break rooms. To figure out what matters in your break room, consider the following questions.

Who was your current break room designed for, and what did they value? What do your current employees value? Does that match what Millennials value?

Depending on the age of your organization, your current employees might be those who the space was designed for. But if that’s not the case, what do your current employees value? Are they looking for healthy snacks, beverages, or food that have a functional purpose? Does that snack need to be organic or be made with as few ingredients as possible?

The next step in this process is to compare those answers to what Phoenix Millennials are looking for in the break room. Based on the results of the Pew Research Center study, most Millennials will look for a welcoming, comfortable space that offers snacks, beverages, and food that are well-priced and made with high-quality ingredients by companies that are trustworthy, transparent, and care about their customers. And that sounds like something everyone would enjoy.

Take the first step toward a high-value break room by designing a customized menu full of delicious and healthy snacks, beverages, and meals. Consider increasing the value by offering the same options to your Phoenix employees at no cost via pantry service or by adding a cafe-style office coffee service. For more information about increasing the value of an important employee perk, contact Southwest Vending at 623.780.3016. We look forward to hearing from you.

The definition of a snack is expanding. It no longer refers only to a small amount of sweet or salty food eaten between meals. A healthy snack can also be a meal replacement that helps Phoenix employees meet their daily caloric and hydration needs. All micro-market snacks, independent of their role, fall into one or more of the three primary snack needs: nourishment, optimization, and pleasure.

Role 1: Sweet or Salty Treat

I have some good news for you. Traditional sweet and salty snacks are not going anywhere. In 2017, the sale of chocolate-based treats produced over $1.8 billion in revenue, or 74.9 percent of the total sales for candy. On the salty side of the aisle, $2.9 billion in revenue came from the sale of chips. That’s 46.6 percent of sales in its category. While sweet and salty snacks are most often consumed as a reward or indulgence, many Phoenix employees also use a trip to the office break room as an opportunity to enjoy new flavors and textures.

Certain snacks have always and will continue to play the role of a sweet or salty treat, but in 2018, many snacks have a new purpose.

Role 2: Healthy Meal Replacement

According to the NPD Group’s tracking of U.S. consumers’ snacking attitudes and behaviors, “snack foods eaten at main meals now represent 24 percent of all snack food eatings, which is up from 21 percent five years ago.”  Not only are Phoenix employees looking for nourishment and optimization, a mental or physical energy boost, they have high expectations about the quality of product labels and the ingredients that they put in their bodies.

Accurate and clearly written product labels play an important part before snacks and beverages are even consumed. For 39 percent of U.S. consumers, inaccurate or confusing information on a product label will trigger a switch to a product that has clearer and more accurate product information. Additionally, 68 percent of the participants in a Nielson study said they would pay more for snacks, beverages, and prepared food items that weren’t made with “bad” ingredients. Fresh, organic, clean, and Fair Trade are just a few of the terms Phoenix employees are looking for in the office break room.

A micro-market offers your Phoenix employees a wide range of healthy fresh foods, sweet and salty snacks, and beverages that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Not only is it a place to grab a bite to eat, but it is also a relaxing environment to catch up with colleagues during the workday. To learn more about updating your micro-market selections or learn more about other vending solutions, contact Southwest Vending at 623.780.3036.  

The workplace including the office break room is changing. After the pendulum swung from everyone working at the office to a dramatic jump in remote employees, the pendulum is settling somewhere in the middle. Phoenix companies are bringing their employees back to the office in hopes of fostering face-to-face collaboration, inspiring innovation, and increasing productivity. And thankfully, it isn’t back into cubeville or the dark, sparsely-decorated break room hidden somewhere at the back of the building. Companies are redesigning their environments to be open, communal areas with spaces designed to promote spontaneous work-related conversations and increase morale.

One area that is no longer left as an afterthought is the office break room. To learn more about what your Phoenix employees need and want, try surveying them. They know what they want. A recent Staples survey found that “83 percent of employees say that a well-stocked break room results in happier employees, while 53 percent say that a well-stocked break room results in more productive employees.”

In 2018, there are a wide variety of options available including pantry service, cafe-style coffee service, and the micro-market.

Micro-Market

• open concept “mini” store using open shelving, glass-front coolers, and self-checkout technology
• offers employees the option to read nutrition labels and make educated decisions about what to eat or drink
• highlights the opportunity to make healthy choices by offering fresh and nutritious sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks and beverages, fresh produce, and yogurt
• includes a wide variety of choices which acknowledge that employees have distinct preferences and unique work schedules

Cafe-Style Coffee Service

• Creates a gourmet coffee-house experience without leaving the office
• Includes a variety of teas and specially sourced coffee beans and locally roasted coffees creating a unique coffee experience
• Uses different brewing systems including single-cup brewers, traditional brewers, and commercial brewers

Pantry Service

• pantry space in your break room with open shelving, bright glass-front coolers, and displays full of food, snack and beverage options
• includes a wide variety of choices which acknowledges that employees have distinct preferences and unique work schedules
• often includes a selection of breakfast foods, fresh and nutritious sandwiches, wraps, salads, fresh produce, and yogurt as well as healthy and traditional snacks and beverages
• employers cover the full cost of this benefit allowing employees to focus on other financial responsibilities

Which options will your employees prefer? Think of Southwest Vending as a partner that can help with your Phoenix vending needs through the services that we offer. To learn more about pantry service, cafe-style coffee service, or the micro-market, contact us at 623.780.3036. We look forward to collaborating with you.

For the first time in history, bottled water is the No.1 packaged beverage in the United States (by volume). People are shifting away from less healthy packaged drinks and choosing the healthy option—bottled water.

– Jill Culora, International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), Vice President of Communications

According to a recent study by the IBWA, more than 63 percent of Americans choose bottled water as their beverage of choice. And 94 percent of Americans believe that bottled water is healthier than soft drinks. But what exactly does the phrase ‘bottled water’ mean? The definition is more complex than it might initially seem.

Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bottled water is a consumer food product; which means that strict standards of identity must be followed in order to legally call a bottle filled with water ‘bottled water’. The FDA requires that the “type” of water must be clearly printed on the label of all bottled water sold in the United States. To understand the FDA’s classifications, it is important to know the following terms.

Spring Water: “Derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface, this water must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole that taps the underground formation feeding the spring. If some external force is used to collect the water through a borehole, the water must have the same composition and quality as the water that naturally flows to the surface.”

Purified Water: “Bottled water that has been treated by distillation, reverse osmosis, or another suitable process may meet standards that allow it to be labeled as “purified water.””

Mineral Water: “This water comes from an underground source and contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. Minerals and trace elements must come from the source of the underground water. They cannot be added later.”

Artesian Water/Artesian Well Water: “This water is collected from a well that taps an aquifer—layers of porous rock, sand, and earth that contain water—which is under pressure from surrounding upper layers of rock or clay. When tapped, the pressure in the aquifer, commonly called artesian pressure, pushes the water above the level of the aquifer, sometimes to the surface. Other means may be used to help bring the water to the surface.”

Well Water: “This is water from a hole bored or drilled into the ground, which taps into an aquifer.”

Understanding the different water sources and methods of extraction will help Scottsdale employees answer questions about the taste, quality, and safety of a specific type of water. This is especially important as 82 percent of Americans think they should drink more water and 90 percent believe that bottled water is a healthy and convenient beverage.

To help your Scottsdale employees stay hydrated and healthy, make sure to include bottled water in your office break room vending machine. Try offering healthy snacks with healthy beverages at a reduced cost. It not only keeps everyone hydrated and satiated, but it’s also a great moral booster. For more information about adding healthy vending machines to your Scottsdale break room, call Southwest Vending at 623.780.3036.  

Everyone has that one favorite “not-so-healthy” snack that they enjoy every now and then. While we’ve all heard that moderation is key, deciding whether to go healthy or not can be quite the dilemma. Often Scottsdale consumers want to eat healthy, but at the same time, they want to enjoy their favorite sweet or salty guilty pleasure.

Many of Scottsdale’s favorite sweet and salty snacks have been around for more than 30 years and include:

• Confections (chocolate, candy, etc.): PEZ (1950), Swedish Fish (late 1950s), Nerds (1983), anything made with chocolate
• Salty: sunflower seeds, Cheese Balls (1980s), Combos (mid 1970s), Goldfish, Doritos (1974), Pringles (1975), chips, crackers
• Cookies and Snack Cakes: Famous Amos cookies (1975), animal crackers (1902), rice krispies treats, Oatmeal Cream Pies (1960), Oreos, Pop-tarts (1964)
• Other snacks: Dippin’ Dots (1987), Fruit Roll-ups (1991) or fruit snacks, granola bars, Milk ‘n’ Cereal Bars or breakfast bars (1990s – early 2000s)

If Scottsdale employees are looking, however, for something that’s a little healthier, there are a lot of healthy sweet and salty options available too. Healthier snack options include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, popcorn, squeezable yogurt tubes, yogurt smoothies, pre-packaged organic meal kits, salsa, and hummus. Many of these healthy snacks can also be combined to create a healthy mini-meal when there isn’t enough time for a sit down meal.

Whether your Scottsdale employees are craving something healthy or “not-so-healthy,” many of these snacks can be found all day in the office breakroom micro-market or vending machine. Providing an easily accessible, onsite location where all types of snacks and beverages including office coffee service are available is just one benefit that lets your employees know they are valuable. Another benefit is to offer everything at a reduced or zero cost. Not only will employees welcome onsite snack and beverage options, but they will also appreciate the cash left in their pocket.  

Don’t forget to offer refreshing beverages along with both healthy and not-so-healthy snacks. It’s important to keep your employees hydrated as well as satiated. To learn more about the many different types of breakroom snack and beverage options in Scottsdale, call Southwest Vending at 623.780.3036.

2018 is predicted to bring new and unusual, but tasty, snacks and beverages to Scottsdale. According to Denise Purcell, head of content for the Specialty Food Association, “Macro trends like sustainability and health are converging in the 2018 [food] trends.” This combination will create food trends including more plant-based foods, upcycled edible products, and healthy alternative sweeteners.

Plant-Based Foods

Gone are the days when plant-based foods were only found in out of the way health food stores. Today, plant-based options are endless and can be found everywhere from the local grocery store to the office break room vending machine. Scottsdale consumers are likely to find a wide variety of plant-based options including dairy-free milk products such as cheese or yogurt; frozen desserts such as ice cream or whipped topping; and convenience foods such as crackers, cereals, cookies, bean chips, premade burritos, and protein bars. Below are a few of the plant ingredients found in healthy snacks and beverages that consumers will enjoy more of in 2018.

• dairy-free alternatives: almonds, coconuts, cashews, soy, and rice
• pulses: beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas
• vegetables: beets, sweet potatoes, kale, tomatoes, and corn    
• ancient grains: quinoa, spelt, amaranth, kamut, and farro
• protein-rich seeds: hemp, chia, and flax

Upcycled Edibles

Forty percent of the food produced in the United States is thrown away each year. That is equivalent to $165 billion of food. Upcycled dishes have already made appearances in home kitchens and restaurants. As Scottsdale consumers develop a better understanding of this problem, prepackaged upcycled products made from ingredients and scraps that would have otherwise been discarded, will increase in availability. Several snacks and beverages that are already available include

• pressed juice made from imperfect fruit
• chips made from fruit pulp
• snack bars made from spent grain from the beer making process
• condiments including chutney and chilis made from ugly produce
• hot-on-the-go oatmeal made with the coffee fruit

Alternative Sweeteners

Sugar. Many Scottsdale consumers have a love-hate relationship with it. It’s tasty, but too much of it can cause health issues. To be able to enjoy something sweet and be mindful of their health, consumers are looking for natural, alternative sweeteners that have a lower glycemic impact, fewer added sugar calories, and a sustainable footprint. The following are a few lesser known fruits that make deliciously sweet syrups and can be found in a variety of snacks and beverages.

• dates: the fruit of the date palm tree that becomes a thick molasses-like syrup with a rich, sweet flavor
• monk fruit: a fruit native to southern China and northern Thailand that has a flavor similar to traditional sugar
• agave: a cactus plant from Mexico and the Southwestern United States that has a flavor similar but milder than honey
• lucuma: a Peruvian fruit with a maple-like taste
• yacon: a South American tuber that tastes like an apple, but has a maple-like flavor when it is a syrup  

Have your Scottsdale employees started looking for snacks and beverages that are healthier or better for the planet? Whether they want a mix of traditional and healthy choices or just an afternoon coffee pick-me-up, Southwest Vending can help. Call us at 623.780.3036 for more information about vending machines, micro-markets, and a variety of other vending options.

Which food and beverage choices did you purchase the last time you needed something to eat or drink? Was it a green tea or maybe a breakfast smoothie? If so, you might be one of the many Phoenix residents who have recently posted online about your experience.

According to a recently released study by CBD Marketing, Millennials, or those between the ages of 18 and 35, have played a key role in changing “long-standing truths” within food and beverage categories. The research analyzed 10.8 million social media posts and other online content specific to food (8.6 million) and beverage (2.2 million) product groups. Frequently used hashtags for foods included #healthy, #organic, #naturalfood, and #healthyfood), while #greentea, #healthy, #coffee, and #tea were seen most frequently for beverages.

Even though Millennials are tech savvy and share their thoughts and buying habits frequently and openly, it would be a mistake to treat all Millennials as one group. Millennials consist of three overlapping subgroups whose differences can greatly impact their preferences. Some are college students or living at home, others are out of college and just entering the workforce, and others are buying homes and starting families.

And don’t forget to consider other Phoenix demographics when monitoring social media insights. For example, women created 62 percent of the content while men created only 38 percent. The study also found that “Millennial men and women use very different descriptors when talking online, so it’s important to use language that reflects your target audience.” The top terms used more frequently and often by women include love, amazing, good, best, favorite, enjoy, and delicious) while men used good, love, great, enjoy. Men also seemed to express negative options more frequently.

CBD Marketing’s Co-CEO Lori Colman said it best when she said that “businesses and brands that mine this treasure trove of online data will be the ones that market their products successfully.” In order to learn about your Phoenix employees’ food and beverage preferences for the office break room consider the following criteria.

Food Preferences

• Like healthy, natural foods; support alternative food distribution via meal delivery and meal services
• Buy from environmentally conscious manufacturers and purveyors; want transparency
• Gravitate to cultural flavors and foods like Scandinavian and Indian

Beverage Preferences

• Looking for green tea, kombucha and even traditional hot lemon teas
• Want flavored, sparkling and plain water, “better-for-you” drinks promoting energy, immunity, digestive health
• Enjoy plant-based milks and cold brew

How many of these healthy food and beverage choices are available for your employees in the Phoenix office break room? If you’d like to add more options or bring some variety to your current vending machine offerings, Southwest Vending can help. Contact us at 623.780.3036 to get started.

The increase in demand for healthy snacks is not only about which ingredients are in a snack; it is also about the ingredients that aren’t there. According to Mintel, a global market research firm, 84 percent of consumers want to reduce the amount of natural sugar and artificial sweetener in their diets. Participants indicated that weight management and future health concerns were the top reasons to cut sugar. In fact, 31 percent of participants agreed that removing sugar from their diet causes more weight loss than cutting out fat. Millennials or 18 to 34 year olds had additional concerns about sugar and its negative impact on dental health and the appearance of their skin.     

Decreasing the amount of sugar consumed has many more positive effects on a Scottsdale individual’s health than the few previously mentioned. Some additional health benefits of eating less sugar are

• lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol (LDL) levels,
• decrease risk of fatty liver disease, diabetes, and heart attack,
• Lower chances of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia,
• improved cognitive function, memory, and responsiveness,
• increased energy levels.

Avoiding sugar isn’t always as easy as it sounds though. Sugar is frequently hidden in products that aren’t usually associated with sugar. It is also referred to by other names and found in many different forms including molasses, organic cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, malt sugar, corn syrup, honey, syrup, and words ending in “ose” dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose, glucose, and sucrose. The following suggestions are a few ways that can help Scottsdale employees and students choose healthy snacks and reduce sugar consumption:

• check the ingredient list for hidden sugar
• eat as close to natural as possible
• check the nutrition label to see how much sugar is actually in the product
• gradually lower your sugar intake
• eat more protein and healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives
• drink naturally flavored seltzer water as an alternative to sugary beverages

The increase in demand for snacks and beverages with less sugar has led to new, easy-to-find, healthier choices including kombucha teas and drinking vinegars. Since Scottsdale employees are looking for a wide variety of flavors and sweetness levels, there are many new opportunities to offer healthy snacks and beverages at all sweetness levels in the office break room.

Consider offering all of your Scottsdale employees the chance to enjoy a healthy snack or beverage while at work. Whether enjoying a can of flavored carbonated water or a healthy snack from the vending machine, there is an option for everyone. For more information about adding healthy snacks and beverages to your office break room or updating your current vending machine options, call Southwest Vending at 623.780.3036.

By previous standards, it wouldn’t be considered a meal. It isn’t always consumed at traditional meal times or eaten at a table. But according to those between the ages of 18 and 35 (Millennials), it contributes to their daily nutritional needs and functions as a meal.

What is it?

It is a wholesome snack. Millennials are eating a lot of snacks. 92 percent of individuals recently surveyed by Surveygoo said they replace a meal with a snack at least once a week. 50 percent do it four times a week and 26 percent, do it seven times per week. That is a lot of snacking.

Since Millennials are now the largest segment of the population in the U.S. workforce, Scottsdale employers need to reexamine their break room snack, beverage, and food options. At the top of the list of preferred ingredients for wholesome snacks are whole grains, real fruit pieces, and nuts. These healthy ingredients are not just beneficial for Millennials. They are better for everyone. When researching different snack options for your employees, here are three things to consider:

Nutritional Needs

• Will it stop hunger between meals?
• Will it help me to stay hydrated?
• Will it help me to manage my health and diet?

Refuel or Energy Pick-Me-Up

• Will it give me an energy boost?
• Will it increase my mental focus?
• Will it help decrease stress?

Ingredients

• Whole Grains (oats, brown rice, millet, and quinoa)
• Plant-Based Proteins (legumes, nuts, and seeds)
• Fruits and Vegetables (berries, apple, and sweet potato)
• Low in Sugar

Each of these areas can offer benefits when considered on their own. However, when they are considered as a group, the benefits can reach even further. A snack with healthy ingredients that fulfills nutritional needs, keeps an employee hydrated, and improves mental focus positively impacts that individual’s health as well as increases creativity and productivity. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Have you considered including wholesome snacks in your Scottsdale office break room? Whether you are just beginning your office break room journey or would like to update your vending machine or micro-market selections, we can help you with that. Contact Southwest Vending at 623.780.3036 for more information.