www.H-box.com
Further
to the Government report ‘Turning the Tables: Transforming School Meals’
and the School Food Trust report ‘Transforming School Food, there have
been calls from certain quarters to remove all vending from all Schools.
However,
vending machines provide useful revenue for Schools, create extra service
points, reduce queuing and also help to keep children on School grounds.
Therefore the obvious conclusion is that vending machines are not the
problem, it is that certain products and their ingredients may contribute
towards the obesity problem, either because they are too high in fat or
sugar, or contain too much salt, or indeed have little or no nutritional
value.
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For
over two years now H-box has been developing healthier alternative
snack and drink vending machines as a solution to the above. We have
worked very closely with the Healthy Schools Programmes and presented
at their regional meetings. Further to our continued work with the
Health Education Trust, H-box now carries the ‘Real Choice’ logo. |
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All
products are low in fat, sugar and salt compared to the traditional sugar
fuelled pop and fat laden snacks.
H-box engages the children in product sampling and tasting sessions, and
gains feedback from the pupils by way of questionnaires. H-box sponsored
the survey ‘Out of the Mouths of Teens’ for the Catering for Kids
conference, as well as being an invited speaker at the event.
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It is
imperative that feedback is obtained from the pupils, as this is not
just about swapping fizzy pop with water and chocolate for apples, it
is about guiding the children in to making a healthier choice, and
reminding them that food comes from plants and animals and not a
plastic container on a supermarket shelf. |
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Following
the launch of the snack machine, the H-box drinks machine was developed to
provide healthier alternatives to the standard carbonates, and therefore
dispenses bottled water, cartons of fruit juice and flavoured milks. These
products are exceptionally well received by the pupils, and have been
welcomed by teachers as these healthier alternatives have made significant
improvements to concentration and behaviour in the classroom.
H-box is constantly sourcing new and exciting products, as we aim to give
an improved choice with a wider variety of product. H-box has now
developed its food machine with an HET approved range of sandwiches, salad
pots and fruit pots. This machine also allows fresh fruit and yoghurts to
be vended.
H-box now has the complete range to offer; Snack, Drink and Food machines.
H-box has been featured in the National Press, at LACA, and Leisure
Industry Week. H-box has also been featured on the BBC ‘Fat Nation series’
and on ITV News programme ‘London Tonight’ as the issues of Obesity are
continually being raised in the media. H-box also supports both the Sports
College and the Secondary Heads Association Conferences, and was the only
vending Company at the Govnet ‘Shaping Schools for the Future’ conference
at Westminster.
Due to the success within Schools, several Local Authorities have taken
H-box in to their Leisure Centres, and again the machines are proving very
popular with both visitors to the Centres and Leisure Centre staff.
Several Hospitals have also now taken H-box to offer their visitors and
staff the healthful alternative.
Besides England, H-box machines have now been sited in Scotland and Wales.
H-box provides a genuine healthy vending solution with genuine healthy
alternatives and a healthy profit stream to any organisation. H-box
guarantees to keep developing its product range in order to always be able
to offer a genuine healthful alternative.
www.H-box.com
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