Council Votes On Healthy Vending Machines Bill

TAKOMA PARK, MD — Montgomery County Council members will vote Tuesday on a proposed bill that would require vending machines on County property to carry more healthy food and drink options.

If passed, this bill would require that 50 percent of the items in County vending machines would meet the American Heart Association recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat and other measures by July 2017. By July 2018, at least 65 percent of items would have to meet this standard.

“As chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee, I am always on the lookout for ways to help our employees make healthier lifestyle choices,” Council member George Leventhal said. “Bill 01-17 does not dictate what people can or cannot eat—it simply mandates that our vendors provide healthier options.”

Leventhal is the lead sponsor of the bill, and council member Craig Rice signed on as a co-sponsor.

According to WJLA, Montgomery County currently has 168 vending machines in various buildings such as libraries, firehouses, police stations, health centers and more.

Leventhal and Rice said this legislation comes amid a recent study that discovered almost 25 percent of children in Montgomery County are overweight, as well as more than 50 percent of adults. This rate outpaces the national average.

“Passing this legislation is an achievable step for the County to promote health, increase access to healthy choices and help reduce the costly effects of medical conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease," Executive Director Shawn McIntosh of Sugar Free Kids Maryland said. "By increasing choices for packaged snack foods and beverages in vending, we are aiming to make the County a healthier place to live, work and play.”

A healthy vending legislation was also passed by the Howard County Council in 2015, and will be introduced to the Prince George’s County Council this year.

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Photo: Tkraska/Flickr