Eleven New Rules of Leadership for a New Generation of Businesses

We all know the know the economy is much different than it was 15 years ago. As a result, businesses have changed, and the future is uncertain.

But, that doesn’t mean that all businesses have shut down completely. It simply means a new game plan is in place. After all, adaptation is what humans do best.

In order to succeed in this economy, you need to throw your old leadership tactics out the window.  The conventional rules of leadership (strict schedules, crisp meeting agendas, planned delegation) are becoming a thing of the past. In order to be a great boss--and crush it with high profits--you need to follow these new rules.

Inc. Magazine recently provided a list of the new rules of leadership. Here are the Top 11 we think are most important for our healthy vending machines business.

1. Have a Bias Towards Action

The biggest impediment in a successful business is actually getting things done. Normally, a great idea is presented, but it sits on the back burner for months--even years--until it’s implemented. By the time it’s dialed and ready to go, the window of opportunity is sealed shut. When you come up with something great, make it happen.

Think it, and then do it.

2. Let “No” Be a Bigger Part of Your Vocabulary

The power to learn to say “no” is extremely important. Set yourself limits and always keep in mind the end result. This isn’t to say you should limit creativity and action, but distinguishing between an extraordinary idea and an ordinary idea is crucial.

3. Keep Communications to a Minimum

This one is all about efficiency. What’s the need of inviting 10 people to a meeting when only 3 actually need to be there? Or what about sending company-wide emails when it only concerns a select few? We all know the frustrations of that one person who CC’s everyone on every single email sent out. This is especially important in small companies like ours. As we grow, our “departments” become more specialized, but communication does not.

4. Set Up Your Office as an Idea Factory

Let your office be a place where people feel comfortable sharing ideas. Make every day a meeting of the minds. Some of the best ideas are born by just spitballing, so instead of making your office a stuffy workplace, make it a destination people want to go to. We set up our new office with this exact idea in mind, and let me tell you--it works.

5. Make Customer Service Everyone’s Job

This one seems like a no-brainer, but it really works. Excellent customer service is key to a successful business. This doesn’t mean only having a receptionist handling customer service. Everyone needs to be aware of the problems in order to fix them. If your whole company knows the issues circulating around your business, there is a better chance it will get fixed faster.

6. Value Creativity Over Productivity

Instead of focusing on getting a ton of products dialed and produced, focus on producing the highest quality product available. Make sure to hone your creativity and place more emphasis on that than anything else.

Value intuition – and hold yourself to that standard at work. Work on whatever feels instinctively right at the moment and let your schedule take on an organic randomness, so efficacy can feel effortless.

7. Leave Your Schedule Open

Leave large blocks of your schedule open. That way, you’re open to impromptu meetings, employee questions, and more. If you wind up with extra time, fill it with self-education and big-picture, future-oriented thinking.

8. Don’t Treat All Employees Equally

Your employees aren’t robots, so don’t treat everyone as if they are. Everyone is different, so recognize their strengths and weaknesses and act accordingly. People value personal attention, but it’s obvious they won’t get it all the time. If you recognize something good someone did, let them know you noticed. Realize that everyone contributes to your team in some way, and differences are a good thing! We learn the most from those who have different perspectives. Just ask any of our team members!

9. Micromanage (Sometimes)

Micromanage? That word makes me cringe. We’ve been conditioned to delegate, delegate, delegate, and that’s how it’s been done for awhile. However, micromanaging (a little) helps you keep a pulse with what is happening in your business. Hire smart, dedicated people who can be set free and trusted to get things done, but when something goes unplanned, stepping in with strategic micromanaging may eliminate the root of the problem.

10. Let Employees Come and Go as They Please

Make your business out to be a workforce of dedicated volunteers--people who can come and go when they please. Some of the best new CEO’s let their employees work from wherever they like.

Don’t necessarily set a fixed vacation policy--let them fly out and come back when they’re pumped for more action. As weird as this sounds, it actually fosters more commitment. It breeds employees who want to think about work wherever they are, even if they are relaxing in the Caribbean.

11. Make the Important Calls Yourself

No, we don’t want you to fire all your employees and do everything yourself, but making the most important calls yourself is the way to go. Do you have a huge sale and want to make sure you lock it down? Call the person yourself. The customer will feel special knowing that the head honcho reached out to them.

As you can tell, this isn’t your average list of leadership strategies. But, the world is changing, and it’s all about the survival of the fittest.

Best in health,

Sean & Andy
Founders, HUMAN Healthy Vending

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Listen, Learn, and Lead

Lead Your Employees Like You’re Leading an Army

Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets?

By listening and learning — and addressing the possibility of failure.

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HUMAN Co-Founder Sean Kelly Achieves Celebrity Status

An elementary school student’s PowerPoint presentation on Sean Kelly is making waves here at HUMAN. One of our own has finally achieved celeb status!

Check out this student’s comprehensive analysis of Sean as a top-notch “social entrepreneur.”

Way to go Sean!

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Peter Drucker, one of the greatest business consultants to ever live, said that the only two things in business that create profits are marketing and innovation.  Thus, it’s no surprise that innovation is a major profit center, essential to any successful business, especially if you want to be the best in your industry. Innovate your industry and the rest will follow.

That being said, here are the 6 Sources of Innovative Ideas and how HUMAN Healthy Vending has capitalized on them in our healthy vending business

1. New Knowledge

Some of the most successful innovations are the products of “new knowledge.” Like the old adage says, knowledge is power. Take the computer for example. New knowledge in the fields of binary mathematics, computer programming, symbolic logic, etc., resulted in the creation of the computer. By using new knowledge and implementing it in your product, you can radically change your industry and even dominate it.

How we’ve done it: Here at HUMAN, we took new knowledge of technology and the future of vending and developed the first-ever healthy vending program in the US. Our machines come equipped with LCD screens that display nutritional information and advertisements, remote monitoring capabilities, LED lighting, and conveyor belts in place of coils. We capitalized on new knowledge of the obesity epidemic and the healthy food boom by stocking our machines with 100% healthy options.

2. Customers

What better way to innovate than by tapping the ideas of customers? After all, these are the people that are going to be buying your product or service. They are often the best source of information on the weaknesses of current products and can also identify unsolved problems with the product. By finding out what they actually fear and desire--instead of acting on what you think they fear or desire--will amount to huge gains.

How we’ve done it: For years, the vending industry was stagnant. Customers were forced to sacrifice healthy eating for convenience, and we recognized that something was wrong with that. We created a product where people were able to go to their gym, health club, office breakroom, etc. and have easy access to their favorite healthy foods.

3. Lead Users

Lead users are companies or noncompanies, customers or noncustomers--whose needs are far beyond those offered in current market trends. They innovate or invent because no one else will do it for them. Their needs motivate them to create solutions far before manufacturers think of them. Thus, lead users are powerful sources of innovation.

How we’ve done it: As the founders of HUMAN, we are lead users. We knew we wanted convenient access to healthy options, but there weren’t any. We took our needs to the next level and created the solution ourselves.

4. Emphatic Design

One of the major problems innovators face is that customers cannot always articulate their future needs. This is due to the fact that customers only explain their needs in terms of current products or services. They do not know the technological possibilities available.  Emphatic design is an idea-generating technique whereby customers are observed using existing products in their environments.

It’s basically anthropology for business purposes.

How we’ve done it: The idea of creating a healthy vending machine actually came to me as I observed a woman at the gym. She got off the treadmill, walked over to the vending machine, purchased a 20 oz. Coke, and got right back on the treadmill. It didn’t make sense. Here was someone who cared about her health by being at the gym, but chose the nearest drink option which completely defeated the purpose of a gym in the first place.

5. Invention Factories and Skunkworks

Most big companies have an R&D unit. This could cost upwards of thousands of dollars. R&D programs are a proven way to develop new innovations, but they aren’t the only way. Some companies bring in talented people with different backgrounds and experiences to solve a particular problem. Some use skunkworks, which are focused project teams that don’t interfere with the rest of the organization.

How we’ve done it: Our team is a mastermind. Each of us has different knowledge and experiences. When you have numerous capable brainpower working together for a common goal, the results are multiplied and innovation is born.

6. The Open Market of Ideas

Open market innovation involves the importing and exporting of ideas. It’s basically collaboration with outside sectors or corporations that help spur innovation. A lot of companies hire consultants who are experts in certain areas. No one person (or company) knows everything, so having a pair of fresh eyes to look at your business will prove useful.

How we’ve done it: We know we aren’t a one-man team, so that’s why we’ve partnered with numerous organizations and programs to stay true to our mission and keep up with the times. We have an endless fountain of information and ideas that help us innovate and grow.

Best in health,

Sean & Andy

Founders, HUMAN Healthy Vending

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Obesity in America: Fast Food & Fat Profits that Come with a Price

Check out this video on the obesity epidemic in America. You’ll be surprised at how fast food has changed the U.S. for the worst.

The video explains some interesting facts you can’t afford not to know.

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Why Social Entrepreneurship Means More than Just a Bottom Line

“Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they’re serving.”

- David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

In this week’s Crush It Report, we are going to discuss a HOT new topic on the entrepreneurship front: social entrepreneurship. You may or may not have heard of this, but the idea is pretty straightforward: social problems can be tackled in similar ways to business problems.

Social Entrepreneurs Have a Greater Purpose than Profits

Whether it be working to resolve an environmental issue or social injustice, social entrepreneurs apply business solutions to social problems. The up-and-coming entrepreneurs of today are much more socially aware than their predecessors. Social entrepreneurship used to be an oxy-moron.

Now it’s anything but that.

Even business schools are starting to offer programs in social entrepreneurship. Hult Business School in London is one of the first, with many other schools across the world planning to follow their lead. Their goal is to appeal to students’ conscience, not wallets.

In an age of ever-increasing corporate social responsibility and   proactive environmental actions, knowledge of social enterprise just may be the new path to success.

Our vending business is a prime example of a social enterprise. Of course, you need to make money. But once that’s under control, you can work towards your bigger mission. Ours is about  fighting obesity by increasing access to healthy foods, drinks, and education. Like we always say, we are a health and nutrition company with a vending problem.

The bottom line: If you see a problem, find the resources to solve it. It’s simply business with a social mission.

Best in Health,

Sean & Andy

Founders, HUMAN Healthy Vending

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Childhood Obesity: America’s Got a BIG Problem

Check out this creative video on the childhood obesity epidemic:

You’ll learn some startling facts about childhood obesity, including…

1. 1/3 of children in America are either overweight or obese

2.  19.6% of kids ages 6 to 11 are unhealthy (compared to 6.5% in 1980)

3.  Obesity in children can lead to diabetes, stroke, cancer, and more

You definitely need to watch this.

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Recognized for Success

Co-Founder Andy Mackensen Featured in Stanford Business Magazine

Co-Founder Andy Mackensen with a HUMAN Machine

This week, Andy Mackensen, co-founder of HUMAN Healthy Vending and Stanford ’06 alum, appeared in the Stanford Business Magazine Spring 2011 issue.

Andy was recognized for his unique and innovative take on the vending industry. HUMAN machines are 30-50% more energy efficient than older models, not to mention stocked with healthy food and drink options.

His experience in the hot food vending industry lead him to found HUMAN with Sean Kelly. They capitalized on technological innovation and their passion for health.

Congrats, Andy!

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In this week’s Crush It Report, we will explore a question asked by people for centuries, possibly since the beginning of time: How do great entrepreneurs think?

We hear a ton about what the most successful entrepreneurs do, but before the doing comes the thinking. Although research on entrepreneurship is still fairly recent, there are a lot of people trying to figure out “What is entrepreneurship?”

What Defines an Entrepreneur?

Are there certain entrepreneurial “qualities” that set an entrepreneur apart from the rest? Is it based on luck? Knowing when to act on an opportunity? Taking a risk?

The answer is, no one really knows. Studies have been done coming to one conclusion, and other studies counter them and come to another conclusion. However, a recent study published in Inc. Magazine garners some groundbreaking insights into the thought processes of some of the most successful entrepreneurs. How did the researcher, Saras Sarasvathy, do this? She actually listened in on entrepreneurs as they talked through a hypothetical business scenario presented to them.

Master Entrepreneurs

She found that “master entrepreneurs rely on [...] effectual reasoning. Brilliant improvisers, the entrepreneurs don’t start out with concrete goals. Instead, they constantly assess how to use their personal strengths and whatever resources they have at hand to develop goals on the fly, while creatively reacting to contingencies.”

It’s all about making something out of nothing.

When you think about it, it makes sense. Having TOO many resources actually confines you. It sets you in a one-track mind. But when you have limited resources, you are forced to rely on personal strengths and past experiences to reach your goals. That is where creativity reigns supreme.

The lesson? You don’t necessarily have to go into a business venture with concrete goals. Rely on what you do best, and don’t hesitate to hone your creativity. Go out there and CRUSH IT!

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Start-Up Secrets: Tips from America’s Coolest Young Entrepeneurs

Inc. Magazine gathered the Top 15 tips some of the brightest, most successful young entrepreneurs have discovered from their experiences.

The Best Way to Learn is from Others

Top 15 Tips to Success

1. Stick with it

2. Simplify your mission

3. Ditch your safety net

4. Exceed expectations

5. Do MORE with LESS

6. Don’t go it alone

7. Be nimble

8. Have a plan for actually making money

9. Do your homework

10. Be prepared

11. Stay genuine

12. Don’t manage angry

13. Don’t be afraid

14. You can’t mask mediocrity

15. Do what you LOVE

This rings true for our healthy vending business. We love what we do, and that’s why we are committed to making healthy snacks and drinks more available to everyone. As our motto states, Passion + Purpose + Philanthropy = Success. By having a passion for healthy living, a purpose of making healthy options accessible, and a philanthropic mission to donate 10% of our proceeds to campaigns that help eradicate diabetes and obesity, we truly do what we love and love what we do.

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How to Read Food Labels: The Difference Between “Healthy” Foods and Health Foods

Check out this interesting clip on how to determine the ACTUAL nutrition facts on food labels.

In this video you will discover…

i) The top 4 ways to reverse obesity. (They are SUPER simple)

ii) The emergence of ______________ about 30 years ago is the biggest cause of obesity today.

iii) Why low-fat diets always fail.

iv) The Coca Cola Conspiracy that nobody talks about.

v) A TON more interesting and useful knowledge that will hopefully give you some perspective on nutrition.

Best In Health,

Sean & Andy

The traditional best practices for vending machine owner/operators are one-dimensional:

1) Place your machine in the highest traffic location you could find

2) Stock it only when absolutely critical (i.e. when everything is almost sold-out)

3) Use the same product mix for the next decade

This is a result of perspective. If you look at a vending machine and see only a machine then you’re not thinking outside of the box.

However, if you look at your vending machine and see a launch pad for an evolving and optimized product mix, then suddenly it becomes so much more than a machine.  Instead of a vending machine you now see an Automated Healthy Snack Store.

What is the best way to turn this new perspective on your vending machine into tangible results (i.e. more CASH?):

#1: Change Up The Items In Your Machines

This isn’t an earth-shattering revelation.  We’re sure you already know this.  But, how often do you do it? Do you track the sales of each product-type?  Even if you have tested and worked to arrive at the product mix you have now, it’s a good idea to continue to feature new healthy snacks and drinks. Variety is the spice of life!

#2: Do A Give-Away Promotion

i) Place a bright-colored sticker on the back of one of your products.

ii) Affix a flyer to the front of your machine that makes it loud and clear that if a sticker of that color is found on the back of a product, then “You Are A Winner! Go To The Front Desk To Collect Your Prize!”.

iii) Make sure the front desk has an enticing prize waiting for your customer.  Recommendations: Gift-cards, H.U.M.A.N.  Clothing, Cash, or anything else you can think of that has value!

iv) Promote your Give Away via word-of-mouth.  Chat up your regulars and they’ll spread the word for you!

If communicated well, the cost of the prize will be DWARFED by your increase in profits.

#3: Automate Your Customer Feedback

You are a marketer of healthy snacks and drinks. What is the most valuable information you need to know? The wants and needs of your customers, of course.  While taking time to talk with your customers and hold sampling events to get their feedback is very effective, you can also save time by placing  a comment box on your machine via double-sided tape or Velcro strips with a small sign that reads “Healthy Snack Request”.  Be sure to include small slips of paper and a pencil/pen.

There are many other ways to increase your profits. Take a step back and evaluate your business on a regular basis.  Think outside of the box and don’t lose sight of the most important thing: providing a high-level of service to your customers!

Best In Health,

Sean & Andy

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Automated Marketing

While you’re in the mindset of thinking about marketing your own healthy vending business, this article from MathMarketing.com is a great commentary on automated marketing.  Take the manual labor out of scaling your business by creating automated systems wherever possible.  This can be done without sacrificing high quality customer service.

http://www.mathmarketing.com/blog/marketing-plan-to-help-you-grow-quickly-and-efficiently

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Speaking of perspective, Sebastian Thrun, a Professor of Computer Sciences at Stanford, has taken a radical perspective about changing something we all do quite often…

Nothing is more important than doing what you believe is right.

Why did you get up at the crack of dawn to go to work today?  If you have children, it is probably because you believe you have a responsibility to provide for them.  When you get home from a long day of work and feel like you have completed your duty, it feels good because you believe in the work you did.

Everyone in this world believes in something, and our life choices are just a reflection of those beliefs.

Passion makes all the difference!

The worst thing you can do is fight against what you believe in. It takes a toll on you, both mentally and physically, as you are always dealing with inner conflict. Anyone who has spent a prolonged amount of time doing something they didn’t believe in (I know I have), can tell you how difficult it is. Unless you feel good about what you are doing, you shouldn’t be doing it.

I heard this quote earlier this week and I have not been able to get it out of my head.

“There is a direct relationship between how many people you help outside your sphere, and how impressive the people inside your sphere think you are.”

Does that make sense?  Let me elaborate.

The more people that you help in this world, the more the people that you actually care about (your inside circle) will respect you and look up to you.  Think about the people that you look up to, or the people you think are just plain awesome.

What is their mission? I would bet each of those people is doing what they believe in and in their own way helping many people outside of their sphere.

Whether it is a CEO who creates jobs for others, or a volunteer who is providing access to clean water for those in desperate need, they both are helping others outside of their immediate sphere and that is admirable.

Vending is a $40 billion PER YEAR industry!

There is huge opportunity out there for any person or company that provides consumers with exactly what they want.  Right now, what consumers want is convenient access to delicious, nutritious snacks, and if you provide them for them, you will be successful.

In the 21st century business model, you can make money AND feel good about it.  Look around at some of the top businesses and business ideas in the last 10 years, they all have some purpose and most importantly they improve the lives of their customers and those around them.

Look at Apple, they decided they wanted everyone to be able to have access to 1,000 songs in their pocket, so they created the first iPod.  Apple has been wildly successful, and their fans outnumber their critics by 1000%.

Those who create are rewarded

The race is on for the first car company who can create an affordable, fully electric, emission free vehicle.  Companies like Ford and Toyota are investing billions of dollars to create this vehicle.

Why?  It is not just because it will help prevent global warming, it’s because they know there will be a HUGE PAYOUT for anyone who can perfect this.

Money follows all good ideas, and every idea that improves peoples lives is a good idea. We believe 100% in our mission of providing convenient access to healthy snacks and beverages, and we know that as long as we continue to partner with quality, like-minded individuals like yourselves, we will succeed in doing our part in halting the obesity and diabetes epidemic.  We will also revamp the struggling vending machine business.

If you’re reading this Crush It Report, it’s because you are a progressive thinker, a philanthropist, and you have a knack for finding elite business opportunities.  For those of you we have already partnered with, we commend you, and for those of you we have yet to meet, we look forward to changing the world with you.  Come crush it with us!!!

Best in health,

Sean & Andy

Founders, H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending

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Increase Your Productivity By 400% in One Simple Step

Last week we talked about making sure when you set your schedule for the day, to set both the start time and the end time of your tasks and appointments.  That is the first step towards increasing your productivity.

The second step is to make sure that you work exclusively on your SINGLE assigned task during its scheduled time, and to protect that time by not letting any other task or distraction break your focus.  Research shows it takes an average of 10 to 25 minutes to get back on track after you lose focus on a task.  That means if you bounce around from task to task, you can spend an entire day working and get nothing done but still feel exhausted.

Work Hard and Stay Focused!

Imagine that!  If you schedule yourself an hour to sort out your business finances, but get caught up on a 15-minute personal phone call 10 minutes after you start working, you can quickly throw away 40 minutes of your assigned hour.

Instead of picking up the phone, just let it ring and work twice as hard to finish your task so that you can fully focus on returning the call.  Instead of taking 40 minutes out of your productive day, you will be able to take zero time out of your productive day and have an even more fulfilling conversation because you won’t be thinking about all the work you are avoiding.

Think about this, how many times has someone ABSOLUTELY needed to talk to you RIGHT NOW, but didn’t leave a message or call back?  If someone really needs to get on touch with you, they will:

1.      Leave a message

2.      Call back multiple times

3.      Call someone closest to you to see if they can get in touch with you through them

By screening your calls while you are being productive, you will remain on task and actually have more time for calls after you are done.

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Are Energy Drinks Killing Our Kids?

Now I am not going to deride the benefits of caffeine and energy drinks, because as an avid coffee and tea drinker I would be a hypocrite, but I will say that there is a time and a place for these products…and for young people, especially at schools, it is neither the time, nor the place!

Marketing to Kids? Not Cool

Did you know that 30% to 50% of young adults and adolescents consume energy drinks?  In 2007, there were 5,448 US caffeine overdoses, 46% of those overdoses occurred in children under the age of 19.  Serious adverse effects have been reported due to consumption of these drinks, especially in children, adolescents and young adults with preexisting conditions.

The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study about the health effects of energy drinks on children, adolescents, and young adults.  The results were not encouraging.

Do you think large vending companies think about this when they place energy drinks in schools?  No way.

If you want to drink energy drinks as an adult that is your choice, and the benefits of caffeine can’t be ignored, but just make sure you do your research.  Many of the energy drinks sold today are packed full of ingredients whose effects on the human body are not fully known.  It is better to stick to organic teas and coffees, as well as 100% natural and organic drinks like Guru.  Your body will thank you!

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Why Gratitude is the Healthiest of all Human Emotions

This video is a fantastic case study in perspective.  Everyone is guilty of negative thinking sometimes, it is important to take a step back and think about the big picture.  No matter how bad you are feeling, there is always a bright side and it is important to reinforce those feelings.  Zig Ziglar hits the nail right on the head with this short video.



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The Child Nutrition Bill and Our Schools

Now that Congress has passed the child nutrition bill and President Obama signed it in to law, schools across the country will start to determine how the new legislation impacts their own meal and vending programs.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act allows the Secretary of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for foods sold in schools throughout the day, including items in vending machines.

As far as details go, the bill is a good start – but it is not enough to make groundbreaking changes in student nutrition.  For low-income students, the bill provides only 6 cents more per meal, and almost half of the $4.5 billion cost during the next decade is coming from cuts in the food-stamp program.

While it does not amount to a complete overhaul of the school lunch program, the child nutrition bill does include many significant improvements for student nutrition.  It increases the availability of school lunches by expanding the pool of low-income children eligible for the both free and reduced-price meals, while also stopping the federal government from subsidizing junk food and sugary drinks, whether they are sold in vending machines of from behind the counter.

The Importance of the Bill

The bill was passed just as the Journal of Adolescent Health released a report examining the impact of vending machine foods on 5,930 students at 152 schools. More than 80% of the schools surveyed had vending machines selling foods with minimal nutritional value, including chips, sodas and sweets.

In addition to these funding changes, the nutritional guidelines have been rewritten to include more fruits and vegetables, and less fat, salt, and starch.

School Grants

In response to the passing of the child nutrition bill, traditional vending machines in schools across the country are being replaced by healthy vending machines by HUMAN.  Progressive schools are replacing their machines before they are asked to comply to make sure they can take advantage of $10,000 in school grants provided by SPARK for replacing their junk food machines with with healthy vending machines.

Check us out! We were featured on the new health-conscious TV series “LunchNYC“.  “LunchNYC” premiered in October 2010 on NYC Life, which is a subsidiary of NYC Media, the official TV, radio and online network of NYC.

From the website:

“Throughout the 12-episode series “LunchNYC” will introduce viewers to a wide variety of health-conscious individuals, organizations, and events in New York City, and will provide information on how children and adults alike can eat and live healthily in NYC.

From urban farming to organic food carts, tips for quick stretches to which chocolate to choose, “LunchNYC” utilizes the resources of New York City to create a cross section picture of the great things happening in food and health reform in our city!”

We are honored to be have been featured and we look forward to continuing our growth in NYC, and the rest of the United States!

To watch the rest of the episode visit the NYC.gov website.

The new child nutrition law signed by President Obama on December 13th 2010 gives power to the government, particularly the Department of Agriculture, to determine what can and what cannot be served in our schools.  First Lady Michelle Obama has been a champion of this legislation as part of her Let’s Move campaign aimed at ending childhood obesity.  Putting this new law into effect is the first step in making our kids healthier.

Unplug the junk machines

Junk Food Machines Unplugged

New guidelines put in place will limit the amount of unhealthy food available to kids during school hours.  The main source of unhealthy food is the school vending machine.  Typically packed with candy bars, chips and soda, these machines tempt kids throughout the day and put them on a blood sugar roller coaster ride that makes it impossible for them to concentrate.  This new legislation will effectively shut off these vending machines during the most profitable times.  The only way a vending machine will be left on during the school day is if it serves healthy snacks and drinks.  It’s in the schools’ best interests to swap out old junk food machines for new healthy machines so they can continue to earn this much needed revenue.

Fruity Fundraisers

Often schools use fundraisers like bake sales to help students afford extra-curriculars like band camp.  And kids are always selling candy to teach basic business principles and to earn prizes.  One Green Bay area school is taking these new guidelines to heart.  The band at Ashwaubenon High School is selling fruit instead of candy to raise money for a trip.  Across the country, schools are making changes and reducing the amount of junk food sold on campus in an effort to fight back against increasing childhood obesity rates.

Healthy Vending

Schools that choose to make healthy vending machines available on campus will not only contribute to the wellness of their students but they will earn hefty profits as well.  Healthy food doesn’t mean a drop in revenue, quite the contrary!  Sales of organic foods are on the rise and what better place to put them than in front of our youngsters.  Healthy food means healthy bodies and healthy brains.  The child nutrition law will help make this a reality for our kids.