Research: Vending Machines Increased School Breakfast Participation 10 Percent

New research shows one in five children come to school hungry, according to a release by Star Food Healthy Express, a leading school vending machine program.

“No child should go hungry, ever,” said Joe Gilbert, head of Star Food Healthy Express, in a prepared statement. 
“We have federal programs to make sure kids get fed, and our Star Food machine serves breakfast, lunch or snacks in 20 seconds with just a few pin pad presses. The machine communicates with the school’s POS system and the student gets fed at the same time the school system is updated. Parents can even look online to not only see a record of their child getting breakfast or lunch, but what they had on the menu that day too,” said Gilbert.

According to Star Food, one large urban school district in the Midwest saw its breakfast participation increase almost immediately by 10 percent when Star Food Healthy Express reimbursable meal vending machines were placed at building entrances so students could access breakfast when they arrived on campus. That breakfast number continues to grow and the district is preparing to bring in more machines to feed more kids. Nationwide, Star Food sees a 25 to 28 percent increase when lunch is offered and the machines have been available for a while and the kids get used to this fresh, high-tech option.