Healthier Vending
The HSE Vending Policy 2019 applies to all vending machines that stock cold soft drinks, confectionery and snacks on HSE premises & premises funded by the HSE.
The self-audit toolkit supports service managers and staff to monitor the implementation of the policy within their sites.
In 2018, a technical subgroup considered the nutrient profile of vending machine products and information from the HSE Healthier Vending Policy Assessment of Compliance Report 2018 which led to changes to the previous Healthier Vending Policy (2014). The key changes are listed here:
Beverages
- Sugar sweetened beverages will not be stocked in vending machines.
- 50% of beverages stocked will be still water
- Remaining beverages stocked will include non-sugar sweetened beverages e.g. diet drinks, juices, flavoured and sparkling water.
Snacks
- Snacks containing more than 200 calories per packet will not be stocked in machines.
- An exception to this is 3 packets of dried fruits, nuts or seeds (plain and unsalted)
Calorie posting
Products will be clearly labelled with the number of calories per product
The self-audit toolkit contains a Guide to Vending in the Health Service, a self-audit toolkit and a protocol for Community Healthcare Organisations and Hospital Groups. The toolkit is available for download below.