Above the Law: Vending machines need more choices

There is a saying stating that variety is the spice of life.  I happen to agree with this statement, and believe that it is wholly true.

While we are given a variety of choices in many aspects of our lives here at Texas A&M University-Commerce, the choices of snacks leave something to be desired.

In an average day on campus, a student may walk by vending machines ten times or more.  When you take into account all of the time spent sitting around between classes and energy spent in classes, it is clear that students are going to get hungry during the day and not always have time to go to the cafeteria or to pay the high prices other businesses charge.  Unless a student brings their own snacks, this leaves only one viable option which is to eat snacks from the vending machines.

Lifestyles that college students typically lead are not always seen as healthy anyways, but I believe part of the issue at hand is in what goods are available for purchase to these students.

The snacks residing in our vending machines are certainly tasty, but what of their nutritional content?

The next time you walk by one of these machines, take a look at the assorted sugar filled, preservative added, trans-fat laden junk food you can purchase.  It is enough to make you gain weight just by looking at it!

The least offensive of these snacks is probably a granola bar, of which there are only two kinds.  Other than those specific choices, you are relegated to choosing things that are completely bad for you to consume.

I believe A&M-Commerce has a responsibility to the students and faculty attending to give them more healthy options in these machines.  There are plenty of options available for installing healthier snack foods here, so it leads me to ask the question of why they have not done so.

As with many issues in our world, I am sure there is some red tape regarding contracts with vending companies, deals with other major companies, or perhaps it is just cheaper to do it this way.  This is not the way that business should be done.

We all pay a lot of money to go to this university and there should be something available for everyone who goes to this school, including our dietary intake.  If it is an issue of contract, I suppose I can understand when someone's hands are tied, but if it is simply an issue of things being cheaper this way, I completely disagree.

Our own consumption of food is something we all must define individually, but when temptation rears its ugly head in the middle of the day and your stomach is growling, would it not be nice to have the option to pick something that is not as bad for you?

The issue of obesity in the United States is growing and we have already seen major fast food chains and restaurants get on the bandwagon of healthier choices for meals. I feel the university should follow suit.