Brussels Metro vending machines will dispense healthy snacks

It’s time to rethink the junk food perception of the automatic food and beverage vendors

Modern societies are evolving towards greater consciousness about healthy living and eating yet one place where this hasn’t been reflected is the vending machine selling food and drinks loaded with sugar or salt.

That’s why STIB, the public transport operator of Brussels, has decided to do something about this by launching a tender to select a provider to install vending machines with healthy snacks at some of the local metro stations.

The plan of the mobility company is to begin by introducing the healthy snack vending machines at three of the subway stations: Schuman, Montgomery and Arts-Loi (Kunst-Wet). The idea seems to be to unroll this as a pilot project to study the interest of the commuting public in these devices.

Turning the tide on industrial and processed food

The tender is still open and looking for candidates, and reportedly there are already two proposals. STIB aims to have the first vending machines operational at the end of January or the start of February, so the public won’t have to wait too long to try out what a healthy snack from a machine will look and taste like.

We do not want to say who should eat what, but everyone should have the opportunity to choose healthy food,” explained Thomas Naessens, MP at the regional Brussels Parliament, as quoted by Bruzz.

He added that the hope is to have the vending machines serve as outlets for local healthy-food producers and thus popularize their products and encourage the public to consume local food.

It is not yet clear how long the test with the new machines will last, however, the media reports indicate that the plans of the transport operator are to eventually expand their availability to other spots.