Notre Dame students and staff looking for healthier on-the-go snack options now have to look no further than the nearest vending machines.
Notre Dame Vending has partnered with Del Monte Fresh Produce Company to provide fresh-cut produce options in the sandwich machines around campus.
The products are new this semester, but the project to bring healthier snack options to Notre Dame vending machines has been in the works for a while, said Michele VanTubbergen, operations manager for Notre Dame Vending and Office Refreshment Service.
"In September, we saw the products that were to be available to vend and realized what a great option it would be for the campus to be able to offer fresh cut fruits and vegetables," VanTubbergen said.
"Our main goal is to offer the campus a healthy alternative for a snack while providing convenience," she said.
These healthy alternatives include single-serving sizes of Del Monte fruits and vegetables, such as pineapple, grapes, apple slices, baby carrots, tomatoes and celery. Including the low-fat dip that accompanies some of the options, the snacks all total no more than 120 calories.
"When the fruits and vegetables became available to vend in January, we made it our highest priority to bring it to Notre Dame," VanTubbergen said. "Del Monte was the first company to offer this new product, so we contacted them to find out how we could offer the products to our campus."
Del Monte is also excited to implement its services at Notre Dame, Dennis Christou, Del Monte's vice president of marketing said in a press release.
"We are excited about the launch of Del Monte Fresh Produce Company's fresh fruit and vegetable vending line at Notre Dame," Christou said. "This Del Monte initiative helps make fruit and vegetable snacks more accessible to the Notre Dame community.
"Offering students and faculty these healthier choices is a great way to help them stay healthy when on the go and perfect for their sometimes hectic and time-crunched lives."
VanTubbergen said the fresh vending options are currently available through the Office Refreshment Service and in all sandwich vending machines, including those in the Hesburgh Library and the Main Building.
The fruit and vegetable options are packaged to stay fresh and cost $1.50 each, the Notre Dame Food Services Web site said.
Though other campuses like the University of Miami and Miami-Dade College are also bringing healthier vending to their campuses, Notre Dame is the first university in the Midwest to do so, VanTubbergen said.
"We were so excited to be able to bring the fresh cut option to the University," VanTubbergen said.
