WARNING: THIS PRODUCT MAY HAVE BEEN PROCESSED IN A FACTORY CONTAINING NUTS

You Are Entering a Nut Free Zone

Don’t you just hate food allergies? They can range from skin irritation to constricting your blood vessels. This can be especially tough on those with reactions to nuts. A majority of the snacks out there are usually processed in a building where nuts come into close proximity and can’t be guaranteed not to be cross-contaminated with each other, making it more dangerous for the nut-allergic.

Fortunately, there are nut free snacks out there to satisfy the appetites of those who can’t munch on their nutty counterparts. Not only are the following snacks nut free, they’re actually healthier for you as well. Even if you don’t have nut allergies, with these simple swaps, you can enjoy the same great taste as the regulars without having to worry about allergies or your waistline.

Don’t Snicker at Doodles

Let’s start off with the “Om-nom-nom Monster of Snacks,” cookies. Originally created in the 7^th Century, it can be defined as a “thin, sweet, usually small cake.” In fact, cookies have many multi-national names such as biscuits, galletas, and biscottis to name a few. And one such cookie would be the always lovable snickerdoodle.

Mrs. Fields Snickerdoodle Cookie

Cinnamon and Sugar Swirled Into Every Bite

Calories: 120

Calories from Fat: 45

Total Fat: 5 g

Saturated Fat: 2.5 g

Total Carbohydrate: 17 g

Sugars: 9 g

Protein: 1 g

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickdoodle Cookies

Nut and Gluten Free, Yet Just as Delicious

Calories 130

Calories from Fat 40

Total Fat 4.5g

Saturated Fat 0g

Total Carbohydrates: 21g

Sugars 14g

Protein 1g

Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies that have been rolled in cinnamon sugar. Mrs. Fields is well known for its cookies having a soft, moist texture. Unlike most home-baked cookies that harden overnight, their cookies tend to stay soft, giving that “fresh out of the oven” taste (especially if they’re warmed up).

Unfortunately, this doesn’t bode well for those with nut allergies. These cookies are manufactured in factories where nuts are used and can sometimes be cross-contaminated without anyone knowing. Imagine biting into what seems like a harmless sugar cookie, only for the allergies to break out without warning. Fortunately, there happens to be a snickerdoodle that doesn’t have that problem.

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodles seem to be slightly smaller, but they’re thicker, giving a much more satisfying texture. Although the Nutritional Facts don’t seem that much of a difference to its Mrs. Fields counterpart, keep in mind that the Serving Size is TWO cookies. Plus, it has less fat and no Saturated Fat, which is always a good thing if you want to avoid the childhood obesity epidemic.

Chips Off The Old Cookie

For those of you who like chocolate chips, you’re probably familiar with many cookie companies such as Chips Ahoy or Famous Amos. Created in the 1930s, chocolate chip cookies were created at the Toll House inn by Ruth Wakefield being supplied with chocolate from Andrew Nestle. You might know someone who you’d like to share cookies with (because it’s a sharing type of food after all), but they’re probably allergic to one of their many ingredients.

Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies

Small Cookies, Sweet Package

Calories 150

Calories from Fat 60

Total Fat 7 g

Saturated Fat 3 g

Total Carbohydrates 20 g

Sugars 9 g

Protein 1 g

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Delicious, Gluten and Nut Free

Calories 130

Calories from Fat 45

Total Fat 5 g

Saturated Fat 1 g

Total Carbohydrates: 21 g

Sugars 12g

Protein 1 g

The Famous Amos cookies contain Eggs, Milk, Soy and Wheat, perfect for most people, a bad product line for those with food allergies. Their cookies are created in places that have nuts in them, so they’re not the most ideal company to purchase from.

You’re probably wondering how a cookie with chocolate chips not have the dairy that comes in milk chocolate. Fortunately, Enjoy Life uses non-allergic ingredients in every single product, including the use of Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter for its chocolate.

Enjoy Life, Not Planters

Trail Mix can be seen as the best, portable hiking and mountaineering food ever created. After all, whether you’re traveling across great distances or just working your body to the absolute limit, nothing beats having food on hand to stoke your metabolism. The origin of trail mix is disputed between 1958 and 1968. Unfortunately, most trail mixes include nuts which leave the nut-sensitive scrambling for options.

Planters Trail Mix, Nuts and Chocolate

Definitely Not a Nut Free Product

Calories 150

Calories from Fat 80

Total Fat 9g

Saturated Fat 2.5g

Total Carbohydrates 14 g

Sugars 12 g

Protein 4 g

Enjoy Life not nuts! Mountain Mambo Nut Free Trail Mix

Seeds Instead of Nuts Make This Just as Satisfying

Calories 140

Calories from Fat 80

Total Fat 8 g

Saturated Fat 1.5 g

Total Carbohydrates 12 g

Sugars 9 g

Protein 5g

Fortunately, Enjoy Life’s Nut Free Trail Mix delivers that option with open arms, matching and even surpassing Planters Trail Mix. It also delivers an extra 4% of Protein and less Sugar.

You’re probably wondering how can it be trail mix if it doesn’t have nuts? The nuts are replaced with sunflower and pumpkin seeds which are still just as enjoyable and have slightly more fiber than the nuts in Planters. Plus, the chocolate chips are created with Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter, which makes this trail mix perfect for dairy-sensitive people as well.

Beware of Nuts After Dark

Who doesn’t enjoy chocolate? Believe it or not, dark chocolate has many beneficial properties such as lowering blood pressure and decreasing risks of heart disease. In fact, the closer chocolate is to pure cocoa, the more healthier it is. Now if only companies would stop adding sugar to them, they’d actually be considered a health food.

Dove Dark Chocolate Bar

Yes, It Contains Traces of Almonds

Calories 210

Calories from Fat 120

Total Fat 14 g

Saturated Fat 7 g

Total Carbohydrates 21 g

Sugars 17 g

Protein 3g

Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom Dark Chocolate Bar

With Only Three Ingredients, This is as Healthy as You Can Get

Calories 200

Calories from Fat 130

Total Fat 15 g

Saturated Fat 9 g

Total Carbohydrates 22 g

Sugars 17 g

Protein 2g

You’d probably be surprised that Dove’s Dark Chocolate contains almonds. Not a good thing if you’re nut-sensitive. It also contains lactose, if you’re dairy sensitive. Fortunately, Enjoy Life’s Boom Choco Boom Dark Chocolate Bar has the advantage of containing only THREE ingredients. Seriously, it only has Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Non-Alcoholic Chocolate Liquor, and Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter.

Something to take to heart, the fewer the ingredients, the more likely it’s healthier as it means that it hasn’t gone through too much processing. The more processed something is, the less likely it still retains any nutritional benefits that the ingredients are known for.

Insert Corny, Not Nutty Joke Here

If you haven’t gotten nuts from the overuse of the word “nut” yet, then congratulations. And if you’re tired of seeing the word “nut,” you still might want to stick around for more snacks that don’t involve N-U-T-S.

Now Corn Nuts aren’t really nuts at all. They are actually corn kernels deep-fried in oil. Originally created by Albert Holloway in 1936, these “nuts” were originally named “Brown Just Toasted Corn.” However, it’s this oil that makes this snack actually more dangerous than it lets on.

Corn Nuts Ranch

Contains Trans Fat, But That's a Secret

Calories 130

Calories from Fat 40

Total Fat 5 g

Saturated Fat 1 g

Total Carbohydrates 19 g

Sugars 0 g

Protein 3 g

We’re Not Nuts – Cool Ranch Toasted Corn

Healthier Than Your Average Corn Nut

Calories 100

Calories from Fat 20

Total Fat 2 g

Saturated Fat 0.3 g

Total Carbohydrates 20 g

Sugars 1 g

Protein 3 g

The We’re Not Nuts contains more corn than the regular Corn Nuts. It has a lower Fat content and unlike the Corn Nuts which contains “Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Canola Oil” (aka Trans Fat), We’re Not Nuts contains “Non-Hydrogenated Sunflower Oil.”

Thanks to a FDA loophole, companies are allowed to claim their products as Trans Fat-free if the content contains less than 0.5 g. Of course, many companies take advantage of that loophole and Trans Fat happens to be one of the causes of heart disease and childhood obesity. That’s why when it comes to Trans Fat, don’t trust the Nutritional Facts and read the Ingredients List. If it says “Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil,” avoid it like the plague. This is true whether you have allergies or not. You don’t need heart plaque to constrict your arteries.

Cheesy and Dangerous

Like the trial mix, the origin of cheese puffs is disputed, but agreed that they were created in the late 1930s. When you think cheese puffs, the first brand that comes to mind is probably Cheetos. After all, they seem to have popularized the entire franchise with Chester Cheetah (replacing the Cheetos Mouse) and continues to be famous to this day. But something that tastes this good can’t possibly be bad for you, right?

Cheetos Puffs

Dangerously Cheesy, Emphasis on "Dangerous"

Calories 160

Calories from Fat 90

Total Fat 10 g

Saturated Fat 1.5 g

Total Carbohydrates 15 g

Sugars 1 g

Protein 2 g

Pirate’s Booty, Aged White Cheddar

Taste The Delicious Booty!

Calories 130

Calories from Fat 45

Total Fat 5 g

Saturated Fat 1

Total Carbohydrates 19 g

Sugars 0 g

Protein 2 g

Here’s a case of a no-brainer. Yes, Cheetos can be addicting. But they don’t call it “Dangerously Cheesy” for nothing. Compare this with its healthier counterpart below. Not only is it dominated in almost every category in the Nutrition Facts, but it leaves off one important fact: it contains Trans Fat. It states that it doesn’t, but just like the corn nuts, the Ingredients list Partially Hydrogenated Soybean/Canola Oil. Once again, the FDA loophole comes into effect and the 0.49 Trans Fat is subtly hidden from consumers.

Granted, Pirate’s Booty pieces seem much smaller, but do you really want to risk all that Trans Fat clogging up your heart and raising your blood pressure?

Allergies Can’t Hold You Back Any Longer

It should come as no surprise that every popular snack brand has a delicious, nut free counterpart. However, the Enjoy Life line of products are guaranteed to be allergy free! All of their ingredients have no gluten, dairy, nut, soy, egg or casein, giving those sensitive to certain foods more options to snack on. They’re also “school-safe,” which means that they can be enjoyed by virtually anyone.

Kettle Brand Chips are also a great alternative for those who like to snack on potato chips, but have gluten or nut allergies. However, it’s highly recommended to avoid Back to Nature products. Although healthy, they have many products containing nuts, so it’s not a good idea to have them.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Where exactly can you get these delicious and consumer-sensitive snacks?” It’s true that they’re not widely available in regular vending machines, so it can be tough to find foods that won’t cause your body to start reacting violently.

Fortunately, all of these nut free snacks can be found in our healthy vending machines. They make a great addition to any school looking for vending machines that can be available for students whether they have food allergies or not. Those interested in taking the next step for a healthier student body may contact us for a personalized, nut free offering. We’ll work together to customize your vending experience and make snack favorites more available than ever.

Bolthouse Farms has partnered with “A Bunch of Carrot Farmers” (50 actually) to boost sales of their already popular baby carrots.  The partners have laid down an initial investment of $25 million to change to the image of baby carrots. For their new marketing campaign, the carrot farmers have tapped ideas from their junk food rivals that include, among other things; sex, action sports, and special effects.  Baby carrots will be sold in new “junk food packaging” and the web is flooded with Youtube videos of crazy, carrot inspired stunts.  They have even launched an iPhone game called Xrtreme Xrunch Kart where players perform carrot related tricks while riding around on a shopping card. Players are encouraged to, “Crunch into actual baby carrots near your mic to unleash unholy speed bursts and perform XTREME aerial tricks. Wicked!” Sounds like fun.

The new packaging is currently in a testing state, and it is too early to tell if the marketing campaign will be successful.  We hope it blows away the competition and convinces everyone to “indulge the most tasteful of your taste buds” with baby carrots, instead of junk food.

Why We Succeed at Schools While Traditional Vending Companies Fail

Education, Marketing & Promotion at School

In the world of traditional vending, an operator will conduct next to no on-location marketing & promotions. They place the machine, fill it, and once in a while change out products that aren’t selling. That’s it. This is a flawed model regardless of the type of business one is running (what’s more important than marketing & education?), and it’s especially flawed when running a business whose goal is to implement healthier snacks & drinks at school.

Healthy snack brands are often times less recognizable than traditional vending machine fare — students need to be taught about the items. Most importantly, they need to taste the items and learn for themselves that healthy snacks & drinks can and should taste good! These are not your grandma’s healthy foods — they taste just as good as traditional vending fare, but are just a whole lot healthier. Via sampling events, coupon giveaways, digital & standard signage, and consistent promotional strategies (all optional but highly recommended), H.U.M.A.N. operators get to know students and integrate directly into the school’s healthy vending initiative. This has a huge impact!

Innovative Machines Made for Healthy Vending

Selling healthy snacks from a standard, ugly, and boring vending machine is like trying to sell a new car from a used auto parts lot. It’s not going to work. Healthy vending success is all about creating a paradigm shift in the students’ minds regarding what vending, or automated retail, is all about. If the delivery channel is the exact same as standard vending, the students’ minds will expect the same products & experience. The delivery channel needs to change.

By using only new, unique looking machines with customized graphics that tell students “these machines are cool, premium, and good-for-you,” students are much more likely to approach them. And when they do approach them, they’re going to expect something different than traditional vending, and this is what we give them. That’s the whole point! Additionally, by adding innovative technology such as LCD screens, cashless card readers, and automatic conveyor sensor systems, the machines’ “cool” factor is maximized in a big way.

Running out of time today! So check out the next blog post for Part II of this bloviation…

The problem with these “quick fix” food/drink options is that they are usually unhealthy. An even bigger problem is that a large percentage of these fast and convenient options are being purchased from vending machines in schools. This sets the precedent at an early age for children to develop unhealthy eating habits. The federal and state governments are taking action to stop this trend.

Massachusetts is the most state to pass a school nutrition bill that requires public schools to serve healthier meals to students, and to overhaul vending options. A Massachusetts news articles reads, “The measure would ban candy and sodas from vending machines on school property and encourage the sale of non-fried fruits or vegetables, whole grains, nonfat and low-fat dairy products.”

What a coincidence! H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending will customize a machines planogram, or product mix, to meet any nutritional requirements put in place by state and local governments. With a product list of over 1,000 healthy snacks and drinks, H.U.M.A.N. has the necessary products to meet your specific dietary requirements. We can create a plan that is 100% Organic, SB-19 compliant, Gluten-Free, Allergen-Free, Low-Fat, Low-Carb, or No Sugar-Added!

According to the Chicago Tribune, President Obama has asked for an additional $1 billion in funding for school lunches. This is a valuable addition to the battle against childhood obesity. I suggest President Obama allocates a portion of this billion dollars to a healthy vending initiative! Most kids who bypass the cafeteria altogether and head straight to a vending machine end up with a bag of chips and a can of soda for their lunch meal. H.U.M.A.N. can and wants to help. Making school lunches healthier, will not help these rebellious students who spend their lunch money on honey-buns and a soft drinks from the vending machines. If we can’t change the kids, let’s change the food options! Surrounding these kids with healthy vending machines is a beneficial step in changing purchasing options at a young age. Why not buy a bag of  Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips and Hansen’s Natural Soda instead of a Snickers bar and Cherry Coke?

Checkout a couple articles about school nutrition in:

The New York Times

Patriot Ledger

H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending anyone? Some of our healthy vending machine snacks include brands like…Robert’s Gourmet, Clif Bar, Lara Bar, Stacy’s, and Kay’s Natural. That’s only to name a few!! We have over 1,000 taste-tested healthy snacks in our product catalog!

I say we put a H.U.M.A.N. Machine in every living room across the country! This would reduce the obesity epidemic by at least 50%, people would become happy, healthy snackers, and maybe… The Biggest Loser TV series wouldn’t even exist!

After traveling the United States, placing our new-age lineup of healthy vending machines…the verdict is in. It is a gross combination. Although some traditional operators are slowly implementing healthier products into their product mix, most consumers are stuck with the same unhealthy snacks that make them feel unsatisfied. In fact, these unhealthy products were said to make them feel gross. Huh, maybe thats why they described their machine operators as gross? Any thoughts? Of course, not all traditional vending operators are gross, but it’s hard for them to be viewed differently when the only products they sell make their customers feel that same way. Or maybe it’s because when they are filling the machines they look like this…

Hahaha! A little far-fetched, but don’t lie to yourself — this is very real and is happening at vending machines across the country!

H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending can’t promise that its operators won’t show a little crack from time to time but we CAN promise our products are 100% healthy and will make you feel great after eating them, not gross! Our healthy vending machine snacks are taste-tested and approved by our team of health professionals. We ARE NOT gross! Actually, we are the exact opposite and that is why we are making the vending industry sexy!

Last time I checked, crack awareness week wasn’t for a few months!