CHICAGO—Chicagoans feeding dollars into park vending machines are buying granola bars and dried fruit instead of mini donuts and cheesy potato chips — and they’re not complaining, according to a study by Northwestern University researchers released today.
It found that nearly 90 percent of Chicago park-goers said they were satisfied with the food in the new healthy-options-only vending machines.
What’s more, they spoke with their wallets: The healthier snacks boosted average monthly per-machine sales from $84 to $371 in a little over a year across the Chicago Park District.
The sales climb challenges vendors’ previous resistance to nutritious snacks — namely, the fear of losing revenue from tried-and-true items like candy and chips.