Vending machines are quick and convenient venues to purchase an increasingly healthy variety of foods and beverages. But unlike buying a snack from a retail shelf, vending machines have traditionally kept label reading consumers from learning about calorie, carb, fat, and potential allergen information.

Enter Vendors Exchange International Inc. (VE), a Cleveland, OH-based company who has parlayed a technology it developed in 1999 to appeal to today’s brand of tech-savvy hungry snackers. The company’s MIND (Make Informed Decisions) vending machine, already installed in several thousand hospitals and universities, uses touchscreen technology to allow consumers to preview a food or beverage’s nutrition information before they make their purchase. 

“We originally developed this concept as far back as 1999 for Pringles so they could play commercials and provide information to consumers,” recalled Rick Solomon, VE’s director of marketing. “Over the past four or five years, the idea has really picked up steam as the technology has improved and the ability to deliver information via a secured database on the internet has become a reality.”
 
Mr. Solomon explained that the MIND vending machine is primarily comprised of three components: a touch screen (in either 5.7-inch or seven-inch sizes), a control board, and a website responsible for providing the nutritional information. “Because the MIND is not tied to the control board of the vending machine itself, it is capable of being added to almost any vending machine,” he said. “The screen and control board are mounted to the door of the vending machine. The website allows the vending operator who owns the machine to upload the products in the machine onto a SD card, which is then inserted into the board of the MIND.”    
 
VE recently introduced an improved version of its Display Builder software (Version 2.0) that makes the MIND touchscreen even easier to program and design for a fun and engaging interactive experience. The software works with the Nutritional Database website, where screen shots for vending products are stored on a secure database. In addition to providing nutrition information, vending operators can use the technology to improve the interactive experience with slide shows, advertising, promotions and public service announcements like tips for healthy eating.
 
What’s more, the MIND machines can be loaded with practically any product that is sold in a vending machine. “Besides traditional snacks or beverages that we have already created nutritional screens from product information from food companies, many vending operators make their own sandwiches, salads and baked goods,” said Mr. Solomon. “Through the Nutritional Database website, the operator can even load the information on his company’s products to the database and then use that information on the MIND as well. It is extremely versatile.”
 
The capability to deliver nutritional information is important because the new Healthcare Act includes a requirement for vending companies to provide the calorie information on the products in the machine. “While calorie information is the initial requirement, many people feel that further nutritional or allergy information may be required someday,” Mr. Solomon commented. “The beauty of the MIND is that is takes care of the current requirements and should cover any future requirements as well.”
 
He went on to say that the evolution of the technology was also driven by infomationally-driven consumers who, in the age of smart phones and iPad’s, are comfortable with touchscreen technology. “The MIND takes care of one of the biggest obstacles consumers have to buying something out of a vending machine, the ability to look at the nutritional information beforehand,” he said. “Of course, we understand that many people simply want their Snickers Bar or Doritos regardless of the nutritional information. We just take care of those consumers who want nutritional or allergy information first.” 
 
In addition to the MIND machine’s ability to inform is its ability to drive future purchases by delivering promotional material and electronic coupons. “The MIND can be programmed to allow someone who buys a snack from Machine A to get a promo code to use for a discount on a soda from Machine B,” explained Mr. Solomon. “There are many possibilities for creative marketing along with the basic idea of having an interactive experience for the consumer.
 
“In addition, many of our customers are using the MIND as a tool to help them get new accounts or cement long-term relationships with large locations like hospitals and universities,” he continued. “These large accounts are the lifeblood of a vending company.”