Fairfax County Parks Get A Healthy Upgrade

Vending machines definitely get a bad rap when it comes to nutrition. Sodas and snickers don't exactly boast a lot of health benefits. Fairfax County Park Authority is out to change that.

Part of the Park Authority's mission is to help community members lead healthy and active lifestyles. They host hundreds of fitness and wellness events each month across over 400 parks. But recently they realized the vending machines in their public spaces fell short when it came to nutritional standards.

Patch interviewed wellness coordinator Elizabeth Ittner to hear how the Park Authority was able to bring in all-new vending machines with healthier options to the RECenter and Lakefront Park locations in Fairfax County.

Patch: How long has the Fairfax County Park Authority been around?

Ittner: On December 6, 1950, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors created the Fairfax County Park Authority. Today, the Park Authority has 427 parks on approximately 23,359 acres of land.

Patch: What inspired your latest focus on nutrition?

Ittner: Part of the Park Authority’s mission is “to create and sustain quality facilities and services which offer citizens opportunities for recreation, improvement of their physical and mental well-being, and enhancement of their quality of life.” Over the past several years, FCPA’s Fitness & Wellness team has been on that mission to encourage healthy lifestyle habits by providing top-notch fitness programming at our nine County RECenters, complimented by our wellness program, “Take 12 Steps for Health.”

Along the way, we noticed that the contents of the vending machines at each site did not offer products that were aligned with our desire to support healthy eating and active living. We wanted to remedy that situation, so that all our patrons would have access to nutritious and delicious food and drinks at our sites.

Patch: How did you get started on your mission?

Ittner: We took stock of all the products being offered to determine their “healthfulness” in following the USDA’s Healthy Snacks in Schools criteria. We also evaluated our current vending contract and met with the vendor to make some simple changes to better our product selection.

After much trial and error, we decided to make the leap to a new vendor in March of 2017, who specializes in healthier snacks and beverages, with the goal of getting our machine offerings 100% healthier within the next couple of years. We also received the support of our Agency’s upper management and the Park Authority Board, which was very exciting.

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or most difficult moment you’ve faced so far during the shift?

Ittner: The biggest challenge so far has been breaking the mindset that vending machines are unhealthy or can only be full of junk food. This is not the case! There are plenty of new and very tasty healthier snacks emerging, and it is our intention to offer folks healthier alternatives to chips, candy bars and soda.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of the work you're doing?

Ittner: We are proud of making this change to healthier vending because it makes us even more active contributors to better health, rather than a deterrent from healthy goals. It is satisfying to know that children will have the opportunity to choose a yummy snack or drink that their parents can feel good about. Also, all the snacks and drinks will be $1, making it very affordable to choose healthier options.

Patch: Are other local organizations following your lead?

Ittner: Three municipalities in Northern Virginia -- the Department of Parks and Recreation in Arlington County, the Fairfax County Park Authority in Fairfax, and the City of Alexandria -- have combined efforts to encourage their communities to make healthier food and beverage choices outside the home. The three jurisdictions separately adopted the same “100% healthier” vending machine standards through sharing nutritional guidelines and a model policy with each other. The policy requires the supply, installation, stocking, and maintenance of 100 percent healthier vending machine services.

Because of the collaborative efforts and the support of the American Heart Association’s Accelerating National Community Health Outcomes through Reinforcing Partnerships (ANCHOR) program, the Fairfax County Park Authority adopted their own vending policy in May 2017. The new vending policy includes more than 70 machines at 17 park locations and 9 RECenters in Fairfax County.

Both the support between municipalities and implementation strategies of the American Heart Association has allowed the most populous region of Virginia to present a unified stance about providing smarter, healthier snack choices in their communities.

Patch: How do you define "healthier"?

Ittner: All three northern Virginia agencies have adopted the same 100% healthier vending policy to embrace higher nutrition guidelines for their vending machines that exceed federal recommendations of 75% healthier. Their new vendor also has created environmental changes by swapping out existing machines with ones that promote health-centered messages. The ANCHOR program provided social media marketing, taste-testing events, and invited employees and community members to engage in a “What’s in your vending machine?” educational game to support implementation.

Details about food and beverages that meet the American Heart Association nutrition standards for vending machines can be found here.

Patch: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?

Ittner: Do your homework and be persistent. Promoting a positive perception of healthier vending can take time, both within your agency and with the customers as well.

Patch: What is your favorite thing about the Patch?

Ittner: We appreciate the opportunity to share this information with residents in the Northern Virginia region.

Patch: Do you have any events coming up in your community? If so, tell us about them.

Ittner: FCPA always has events happening! You can check our website for the latest program offering and special events schedule. Annually, the Fitness and Wellness Section puts on the Healthy Strides Community 5k/10k at Burke Lake Park. We are also part of a larger effort to promote healthy people and a healthy planet at Spring Fest. Both events are held at the end of April.

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more the FCPA?

You can reach the Park Authority by visiting our website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks. We are also on Facebook @fairfaxcountyparks, Twitter and Instagram @fairfaxparks.

All images provided by Fairfax County Park Authority