UC Healthy Vending Policy
The University of California Global Food Initiative Healthy Vending Work Group aims to improve access to healthy food and beverage options sold in vending machines for students and employees throughout the entire UC system. Through research of existing healthy vending policies and extensive outreach with stakeholder groups throughout UC, the work group has developed the UC Healthy Vending Guidelines and a Best Practices Implementation Toolkit.
The guidelines were developed to provide a consistent set of nutrition criteria and recommended implementation procedures for all UCs to follow, with the intent that these are eventually adopted as a University of California systemwide policy. To that end, the work group has created a set of materials for use in achieving and supporting UC systemwide policy adoption, and the language used in these materials reflect that intention. These materials are available for download below and may be useful, whether a UC location chooses to voluntarily implement these guidelines or pursue formal policy adoption. All are welcome to use and adapt the materials created by this work group to fit the needs of their own organization.
For any questions, comments, and updates about healthy vending progress at your campus/location, please contact the UC Healthy Campus Lead at your campus.
UC Healthy Vending materials
Version for voluntary implementation:
Version for policy adoption:
- Policy formatted in the UC presidential policy template
Implementation and other support materials:
- Best practices implementation toolkit
This toolkit contains useful information for implementing the healthy vending guidelines (whether being done voluntarily or formalized as a policy) and includes topics around meeting with vendors, product promotion, forming partnerships and other information to help you successfully add healthy products to your vending machines. It also gives more detail about the purpose and methodology behind the policy and toolkit. - Elevator pitch and Business case
The elevator pitch and business case are shorter pieces that were originally developed to help explain why a systemwide policy is needed. Either one can be adapted to the needs of your own campus, whether you are working on adopting your own formalized policy or garnering support to voluntarily implement guidelines. - Nutrition calculator
To help determine if your vended snack, entrée, or meal product meets the UC Healthy Vending nutrition standards, try using this nutrition calculator.
Healthy Vending Policy presentations, publications, news & media:
- The Road to Healthy Vending at UCLA, UCLA EatWell Blog, April 3, 2019
- Convenient and Healthy! Implementing Healthy Vending Guidelines for College Campus, Nutrition Policy Institute Research to Action news brief, July 2020
- Presentation: Improving the Healthfulness & Sustainability of UC Vending Machines, CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference, July 8, 2020
- NPI researcher Janice Kao presents on healthy vending guidelines at the 2020 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference, Nutrition Policy Institute news, July 13, 2020
- Healthy vending grows in popularity on UC campuses, Morning Ag Clips, July 29, 2020
- Implementation of a Healthy Food and Beverage Policy at a Public University, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, August 6, 2021
- The Long Arc of Good Food Policy, Berkeley Food Institute Blog, December 13, 2021