The Wright snack: Vending options may become healthier

Wright State University’s Student Government Association (SGA) is petitioning for healthier vending options to make on-the-go snacking guilt-free and nutritious for students.

The initiative will not completely eradicate the snacks that students know and love. Rather, some of these treats will be replaced with alternatives that are similar to the original snacks but offer more beneficial qualities in terms of nutrition, according to Drew Ratzel, SGA Director of Student Affairs. For example, regular chips and pretzels will be replaced with lightly salted and baked versions.

The main push for the initiative came from students from WSU’s College of Liberal Arts (CoLA) who approached SGA CoLA Senator Lukas Wenrick with requests for healthier vending options.

“This is for times when they may not be able to stop at the Hangar or Union Market for a healthier snack,” Ratzel said.

One of the major deterrents that many face when evaluating their snacking options is the price point. Studies show that choosing healthier options costs $1.50 more per day than not. However, Ratzel does not anticipate that integrating these options into WSU vending machines will jack up the prices. “As most of the items we are looking at are aimed to be similar to options already in the machine, we do not expect prices to fluctuate much,” Ratzel said.

SGA is not sure exactly when these new vending options will be implemented, but they’re working closely with the vending department to evaluate their options.