Vending machine snacks continue to be popular across the globe. In fact, worldwide sales increased in 2013 by 2 percent, reaching $374 billion, according to a Nielsen report that polled 30,000 consumers in 60 countries.
While the majority of sales are still composed of sweet confections and baked goods, the segment that appeals to consumers health consciousness is growing. Savory food sales increased, and refrigerated and those foods that resemble foods that would be consumed during a meal are popular now more than ever.
The vending machine image is expanding to include a healthier viewpoint on snacking.
Additionally, the consumers in the report said that low to zero additives is another important factor when selecting a vending machine snack food, which is consistent with the global shift toward natural foods.
A balance of taste and quality is the challenge for most vending snack companies to meet. It can be difficult because of the preservative requirements to keep vending machine snacks fresh for lengthier periods can impact the quality. However, fortunately U-Select-It vending machines offer a refrigeration option, which helps preserve meal friendly vending machine products, such as yogurt, for the consumer that demands healthy options.
Also popular are rice cakes, crackers and pita chips. Jerky and dried meats also increased in sales, according to the report. Cheese, yogurt, salsa and hummus also showed higher popularity.
These are more sustainable food options that give customers protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that support health and a lengthier attention span compared with simple snack foods that have less staying power.
Healthy foods are the cornerstone of energy and attention span for consumers at work, in school and in the public. The report supports the idea that delivering nutrients in addition to the simple carbohydrates that sweet snack provide are an improvement. However, the growing segment seems to imply that even better going forward is reducing the simple sugars altogether and replacing them with nutritious options.
Increasingly, vending products are now available that meet these trends. U-Select-It is a vending machine manufacturer in the Wittern Group founded in 1931 that seeks to match the demands of consumers with value and innovative vending machine technology that gives buyers access to the products that sell and satisfy with vending machines for sale.
Traditional beverages and quick snacks are combined with a growing level of meal replacement and healthy products that have transformed the vending machine industry with a new image of a nutritious source of food options.
Increasingly the public is leaning in to the conversation about healthy foods that contain very few additives and preservatives. U-Select-It’’s snack vending machines are leading the change in the vending machine industry with products that meet these demands.
Source: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-room/2014/global-snack-food-sales-reach-374-billion-annually.html