Fresh Healthy Vending leads the next big trend in vending businesses

Health-conscious Americans are choosing diet-friendly snacks.

Americans are more concerned with healthy eating than ever before. Research performed by the United States Department of Agriculture shows that most Americans are utilizing nutritional facts to make smarter dieting decisions. Thus it's no surprise that health-conscious food franchises like Fresh Healthy Vending have enjoyed a plethora of new customers in 2014.

Healthy growth
A press release shared by the Fort Mill Times reveals how Fresh Healthy Vending was able to expand in July. The company booked 115 locations in the month of July alone and signed three new franchisees, which secured a location for another 40 machines. This growth also reveals the largest monthly jump in vending machine sales all year. In addition, success in July for the company followed their busiest month since September of 2012.

Fresh Healthy Vending was founded in 2010 and has since become the country's leading distributor and franchisor of healthy vending machines. They currently have almost 200 franchisees in the States, Canada and abroad. Over 2000 Fresh Healthy Vending machines have been placed in fitness centers, gyms, youth facilities, libraries and food courts across the nation.

A point of interest for potential investors is the fact that 50 percent of the new locations secured in July were placed in education or training facilities. This data reflects the latest behavior in vending machine customers. Consumer interest in cheap, easily-accessible health food is increasing and the success of Fresh Healthy Vending in marketing its brand toward education facilities is especially telling. After all, USDA standards have set strict guidelines on how many snack and junk foods that schools can host on their campus.

Marketable implications
Schools across the country, according to The Washington Post, are converting to healthy vending machines in anticipation of governmental regulations taking effect in September of 2014. The article noted that high revenue from junk food sales was a major motivator to keep the machines in schools. Healthy vending machines provide a money-making opportunity for schools that won't compromise the well-being of their students.

Other family-friendly institutions have jumped onto the healthy vending machine trend as well. An article in Michigan Live reveals that the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has recently installed several Fresh Healthy Vending machines on their grounds. Amber Holst, the zoo's director of visitor services, claimed that the zoo installed the new machines in response to the local community "becoming more health conscious."

This trend is further confirmed by research performed by Northwestern University, according to the Chicago Tribune. The study surveyed hundreds of Chicago park-goers and gaged their reactions to the presence of healthy vending machines. Ninety percent of surveyed Chicago residents reported to be satisfied with the food available in the new vending machines. The introduction of healthy options increased monthly per-machine revenue from $87 to $371.

This data indicates that the growing interest in healthy vending machines is stable. Education and training facilities should continue to provide opportunities for the expansion of healthy vending machines, especially as the government passes additional regulations. Fresh Healthy Vending, Inc. and its franchisees are sure to take advantage of the ripening market.