Healthy Vending Machines Bill Approved By Montgomery County

ROCKVILLE, MD — On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved Bill 1-17 — the healthy vending machines bill that will require all vending machines on County property to carry healthier packaged snack food and drinks.

For the next two years, 50 percent of snacks in machines on County property need to meet American Heart Association recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat and other measures. By July 2018, at least 65 percent of items in vending machines will have to meet these standards.

“As chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee, I am always on the lookout for ways to help our employees make healthier lifestyle choices,” Council member George Leventhal said. “Bill 01-17 does not dictate what people can or cannot eat—it simply mandates that our vendors provide healthier options.”

Leventhal was the lead sponsor of the bill, and council member Craig Rice signed on as a co-sponsor.

Leventhal and Rice said this legislation comes amid a recent study that discovered almost 25 percent of children in Montgomery County are overweight, as well as more than 50 percent of adults. This rate outpaces the national average.

“We are excited about making the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone who lives, works and plays in Montgomery County,” said Executive Director Shawn McIntosh of Sugar Free Kids Maryland. “This legislation is a step for the County to promote health, increase access to healthy choices and help reduce the costly effects of medical conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. By increasing choices for packaged snack foods and beverages in vending, we are aiming to make the County a healthier place to live, work and play.”

A healthy vending legislation was also passed by the Howard County Council in 2015, and will be introduced to the Prince George’s County Council this year.

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