|
by Ashley Barker
Public Relations
IThe price of the
not-so-healthy snacks in the vending
machines on campus increased by 5 cents
recently, but the extra nickel isn't going
to the vending company. It is being
allocated to the MUSC Children's
Hospital's Heart Health program, which
focuses on pediatric weight management.
In 2008, Janet Carter,
a Sodexo dietitian and manager of the
Heart Health program, began MUSC's traffic
lite system. After a successful pilot
program in the university hospital's
cafeteria, Carter started the arduous
process of labeling each item in all 45
snack machines on campus with a green,
yellow or red tab.
 Tommy Jones, a
Coastal Canteen Vending and Food
Services Inc. employee, restocks a
vending machine at MUSC and updates the
products with appropriate green, yellow
or red labels. The company is now
required to have at least 25 percent of
each machine on campus stocked with
healthy items.
Green items are the
healthy choices, with less than 7 percent
of total calories coming from saturated
fat, less than 35 percent coming from
total fat and less than 140 calories.
Yellow items have 7 to 10 percent of total
calories coming from saturated fat, 35 to
39 percent coming from total fat and 141
to 210 calories. Red items, the least
healthy, have more than 10 percent of
total calories coming from saturated fat,
have at least 40 percent coming from total
fat and have 211 or more calories.
Pretzels are given a green or yellow tab
depending if they have more or less than
450 mg of sodium. Nuts and seeds also have
a different ranking system because of the
fat content: green choices have less than
10 percent saturated fat, yellow choices
have 10 to 15 percent and red choices have
more than 15 percent.
After the signage was
in place, Carter worked with University
Health Promotions, the Business Services
Department and Coastal Canteen Vending and
Food Services Inc. to add a 5-cent
surcharge to each item that was labeled
red. The surcharge has been in place for a
few months now, and already the Heart
Health program is receiving an average of
$700 a month, according to Carter. The
money is being used to buy "the odds and
ends that aren't covered by the other
sources of funding, such as the Boeing
Center for Children's Wellness," she said.
The surcharge, though,
is not meant to raise money for the
program. "Even though the money for the
red items is coming back to a good cause,
we don't want to encourage people to buy
the red items," Carter said. "We do want
them to know that the 5-cent surcharge
isn't just going into the pot."
To be objective,
vending prices are maintained at or below
market prices to absorb the impact of the
applied surcharge, according to Roy
Dingle, manager of support and contract
services. "It is in the interest of MUSC
to promote and encourage the choice of
foods and beverages that are consistent
with the growth and development of
healthier eating habits," he said.
Overall product sales
have increased during the past year,
Dingle said. "The trends are that red
product sales have remained flat over the
past two years with seasonal fluctuations
considered. One implication of this
observation is that there has been an
increase in sales in yellow and green
products," he said. "Increased sale of
'healthier' products — yellow or green
items — is the program goal."
Also a part of the
contract MUSC has with the vending company
is the requirement to have at least 25
percent of each traditional machine
stocked with healthy items. In addition,
the contract includes space to establish
100 percent healthy choices at specific
locations.
"MUSC and President Dr.
{Ray]Greenberg have a very
wellness-focused path," Carter said. "In
general, I've gotten a lot of positive
feedback about there being healthier items
available."
For more information
about the traffic lite system, contact
Carter at 792-4717 or catjan@musc.edu.
Friday, Jan.
18, 2013
|
