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Schools Rave About Healthy Vending Machines

POSTED: 8:37 pm PDT September 8, 2008
UPDATED: 9:34 pm PDT September 8, 2008

A local vending company is trying to arm schools around the country in the fight against childhood obesity.

Healthy eating and vending machines, as natural a pair as, say, black socks and sandals?

In schools where youth obesity is rampant, that's a problem.

So, “Yo Naturals” is doing something about it with their healthy options vending machines.

“Our goal was to help schools establish nutritional guidelines like we have here in California, and, in those guidelines, we wanted to offer healthy options, healthy drinks and snacks, said Mark Trotter with “Yo Naturals.”

Stocked with items like pita chips and organic milk, the machines ensure what's good *to* you is equally good *for* you.

“Many of these don't contain much sugar in them. If they do, they have naturally occurring sugar. We have no high fructose corn syrup, or aspartame or fake sweeteners that are put into our products,” said Trotter.

At the Einstein Academies, the machines are a big hit with the administration.

“We are not seeing the Cheetos, the soda, the energy drinks, those products we're trying to get rid of. We don't have to mandate that they not happen. This is really taken the place of those other products. This has been really successful for us, as well as the student body,” said Middle School Principal, David Sciaretta.

“I like the pirate's booty and the fizzies, and the potato flyers,” said a student.

“I was happy that, when I saw the vending machine, that I saw a bunch of choices that I liked and that were healthy and organic,” said Sciaretta.

That probably means more machines.

“Ideally, machines like this would proliferate on the campus. We only have one at this point, but the future could bring more,” Sciaretta said.

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