28 Mar Fresh Food Vending Machines: A Real Look Inside
In the Philadelphia area, fresh food and vending machines aren’t often thought of together. Vending machines are typically viewed as a source for candy bars, bagged chips, and carbonated beverages. But now, fresh food vending machines are stepping into the forefront by offering a wide variety of healthy, satisfying options for people on the go. Sure, traditional vending machines can still be counted on for snacks and indulgences, but fresh food vending machines offer so much more.
Skeptical consumers still consider it a gamble to purchase fresh food from a vending machine. After all, isn’t it difficult to really know what lies beneath the wrapper? I visited One Source Refreshment, the largest independent vending services company in the Philadelphia area, to learn more. One Source Refreshment provides traditional vending machines, office coffee, and water filtration service to their clients. However, their fresh food vending items have become an increasingly popular choice, especially in their micro-market format.
Tim Greble is the Director of Markets at One Source Refreshment. He gave me a tour of their distribution facility and showed me a wide variety of fresh salads, sandwiches, and specialty items. Fresh food is received daily at One Source Refreshment and temporarily held under strict temperature control. The food is then promptly delivered to customers in One Source Refreshment’s refrigerated trucks. I was given the freedom to unwrap, taste, and photograph an unlimited number of fresh food items. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of choices as well as the look and taste of the food. It was comparable to or even better than the selections found in many Philadelphia area mini-markets.
I offer readers this suggestion: the next time you have the opportunity to purchase a fresh food item in your office break room give it a try. Swap the time spent in the car driving to your local market for time spent actually relaxing on your lunch break. Fresh food items from your company vending machine are an affordable and delicious way to relax and refuel.
If you are interested in updating your food choices at work contact One Source Refreshment at 800-549-3190. They offer free consultations and product tastings to clients in the greater Philadelphia area, including New Jersey and Delaware.