Health law to put calorie info on vending machines

Houston Chronicle ^ | December 28, 2013 | HOLLY RAMER,

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Office workers in search of snacks will be counting calories along with their change under new labeling regulations for vending machines included in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.

Requiring calorie information to be displayed on roughly 5 million vending machines nationwide will help consumers make healthier choices, says the Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to release final rules early next year. It estimates the cost to the vending machine industry at $25.8 million initially and $24 million per year after that, but says if just .02 percent of obese adults ate 100 fewer calories a week, the savings to the health care system would be at least that great.

The rules will apply to about 10,800 companies that operate 20 or more machines. Nearly three quarters of those companies have three or fewer employees, and their profit margin is extremely low, according to the National Automatic Merchandising Association. An initial investment of $2,400 plus $2,200 in annual costs is a lot of money for a small company that only clears a few thousand dollars a year.....

........Carol Brennan, who owns Brennan Food Vending Services in Londonderry, said she doesn't yet know how she will handle the regulations, but she doesn't like them. She has five employees servicing hundreds of machines and says she'll be forced to limit the items offered so her employees don't spend too much time updating the calorie counts.

"It is outrageous for us to have to do this on all our equipment," she said....

..."How many people have not read a label on a candy bar?" she said. "If you're concerned about it, you've already read it for years."

But Kim Gould, 58, of Seattle, said he doesn't read the labels....

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Ya think that soon you'll have to use your fingerprint to enter your selection -- be approved to buy it (according to your medical profile)?

[McGavin999]

They will soon have a scale next to the vending machines. If you go over a certain weight for your height then you won’t be able to buy anything.

[Cementjungle]

the savings to the health care system would be at least that great

Maybe for the people who get free health care via Medicaid... but some of us are paying our own way (and more) with high premiums and deductibles.

[Burlem]

lol, funny. Probably true though

[FlingWingFlyer]

More evidence that the people living in this country, especially those in politics, need to cut down on recreational drugs.

[LibLieSlayer]

Print up decals of the Liberty Bell and slap them on every Nazi label that appears. There are more of us than there are of them.

[lowbridge]

“They will soon have a scale next to the vending machines. If you go over a certain weight for your height then you won’t be able to buy anything.”

I got a talking scale at home. Everytime I step on it, it tells me, “only one person at a time, please”.

I get no respect.

[Popman]

In the business bump.... For later....

[Fresh Wind]

It estimates the cost to the vending machine industry at $25.8 million initially and $24 million per year after that, but says if just .02 percent of obese adults ate 100 fewer calories a week, the savings to the health care system would be at least that great.

So, if you run the numbers, 35.7% of 240 million adults (2012 numbers), that's 85 million obese adults. 0.02 percent of those 85 million fatties is 17,000, and if they save a total of $24 million per year in health care costs, that's about $1,400 per person per year, and that's from eating 14 calories less per day.

Now, if all 85 million obese adults cut down their caloric intake by 14 per day, that would save $119 trillion per year on health care.

Sounds like a bargain to me.

[Fresh Wind]

Oops, sorry, that’s $119 billion per year. Still a bargain.

[kitkat]

I seriously believe that our Resident gets a great thrill out of signing bills which are written up by his faithful underlings just to make it look as though they are working.

[SamAdams76]

Why stop there. I say that we need to pass a law forcing the cashier at the grocery store to recite the calorie count of every item before scanning them at the register. He/she should be forced to exclaim in a brassy voice not only the calorie count per serving but the number of servings in each package.

For example...

1 box Cheerios, 170 calories per serving, 12 servings, that's 2,040 calories total!

Box of Oreo cookies, that's 160 calories per 3 cookie serving, 18 servings, that's 2,880 calories total!

Two cans of Pringle Potato Chips - Barbeque flavor - that's 150 calories per serving, 14 servings, making 2,100 calories total!

Now bear in mind I want them SHOUTING this so that everybody in that line is hearing what the fat pig in front of them is buying with their food stamps.

Arguments with customers will ensue. People will have to wait in line forever to get their food. It will be wonderful!

[BfloGuy]

And calories don't really even matter.

It's what you eat -- not how much.

But when you staff entire buildings with bureaucrats entrusted with our health, they will justify their employment through directives such as this.