SALT LAKE CITY -- Students at Rose Park Elementary in Salt Lake City are not getting the usual snacks from their new vending machine. Instead, they are getting nutrition advice wrapped in a humorous message, according to a report by KSL-TV.
The snacks in the machines are fake, but it is their messages Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) wants to emphasize. The company introduced earlier this month snack machines that are meant to educate children to make good choices about food.
The full-size, modified machines do not accept money or dispense snacks. Instead, they dispense humorous advice concerning the selected snack and suggest healthy alternatives, said the report.
The phony products include a full selection of candy bars, chips, cookies and desserts. IHC said the machines are intended to "help kids understand the importance of making healthy food choices in a fun and entertaining way."
"I'm a vending machine and can't move without someone's help," a cartoon-like voice says when a student chooses a Lava Cake, added a report by the Salt Lake Tribune. "Keep buying food like this and we'll have that in common."
"Hey, it's me, your body," the machine said in a whiny voice, when a student pushed a button for a look-a-like candy bar called a Chewy. "We need to talk about our relationship. What did I ever do to you? Text me."
Or upon choosing Onion Circles, "Uh, never mind what these do to your body, think what they would do to your breath."
The machines are a part of IHC's LiVe program, which emphasizes teen fitness and health. the program emphasizes healthy eating, an active lifestyle and healthy attitudes toward food and fitness.
The idea is to make kids think twice about eating junk food, but in a fun way, Tamara Sheffield, Intermountain medical director for community health and prevention, told the newspaper.
The new imitation machine will likely travel to schools around the state, spending a few weeks at each, the report said.
"What we want to do is do things that actually get kids' attention," Sheffield said. "If they have fun with it, they're more likely to listen."
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.