Business & Tech

Council Member Ponders Healthier Vending Machine Options

Creve Coeur would not replace existing machines, City Councilman said Monday.

Just a step out of the gym at the Creve Coeur Government Center which, depending on the on the day might be hosting exercise classes, is a vending machine full of Butterfingers, Snickers, Fritos and other not-so-healthy snacks.

That would not change under a suggestion brought to Monday's city council meeting, but the machine could get some healthy competition.

Ward 4 Councilman Dr. Scott Saunders, and also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Developmental Biology at Washington University, said the school was approached by a St. Louis area firm that places the machines containing healthier food choices at no charge to the venue.

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"My goal is not to do anything draconian," Saunders said. "I'm not trying to eliminate any of the vending options, he said of the city's existing machines. Ward 3 Councilman Dr. Bob Hoffman suggested the city explore not only placing them at the Government Center but also at the Dielmann Complex.

City staff will evaluate the prospects, and also check to make sure that the city's existing beverage vending contracts wouldn't prohibit adding the machines. It was not immediately clear how much the items in the machines would cost in comparison to what's there now.

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Would you buy healthier snack options if they were available in a vending machine? Tell us in the comment section!

 


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