Local Hospital Just Got Even Healthier

Syracuse, NY (June 28, 2017) – St. Joseph’s Health just finished restocking all of their food and beverage vending machines at the hospital. But this time, the machines look a bit different.

As part of a Trinity Health nationwide initiative, St. Joseph’s is working with American Food & Vending to ensure that a minimum of 50% of all food and beverages available in the hospital’s vending machines meets trisect nutritional requirements. And to help take the guesswork out of choosing a healthful and delicious snack or beverage, the machines are being outfitted with new informational decals and a healthy color coding system that encourage consumers to “Select green (items) to make a better choice for your health.”

“Throughout the past year our Trinity Health Regional Health Ministries have seen a positive transformation in their vending offerings. Recent studies show that more than 50 percent of us snack two to three times per day, so healthy snack options matter,” said George Cranmer, System Director of Food & Nutrition/Environmental Services at Trinity Health, the parent company of St. Joseph’s Health. “Creating a healthier health care environment is not only important for our patients, but our visitors and colleagues, too. Snack choices should enhance our health by adding nutrients and reasonable amounts of energy.”

“St. Joseph’s is committed to improving the health of the communities we serve, and demonstrating that commitment really begins within our own organization. We support initiatives that will make options healthier for individuals; by providing access to healthier products and information for a healthier lifestyle on-the-go, this implicitly makes better health more accessible for those we employ and serve,” said Deborah Welch, Vice President for People and Mission Integration.

Trinity Health enlisted a team of registered dieticians and culinary experts to develop the health standards and consumer information for this healthy vending initiative. St. Joseph’s used the standards provided by Trinity Health to work locally with American Food & Vending to customize a nutritional standard for snacks designated as “green” items within American Food & Vending’s already-existing “Amerifit” vending nutrition program.

“Our Amerfit program arms our customers with the nutritional information they need to make an informed snacking choice. We recognizes that dieters who deny their natural cravings usually fail to achieve long-term success because they are never satisfied, so we help consumers to balance out fat with the other foods in our overall diets” said Steve Trowbridge from American Food & Vending. “Our partnership with St. Joseph’s has been one of our largest customized healthy vending efforts, and it speaks volumes to the growing focus on creating a realistic healthy diet in today’s society.”

American Food & Vending offers an easy-to-understand system that uses the familiar colors of a stoplight, with the color green identifying the healthiest options. The color-coded system takes into consideration all of the nutritional variables, making it easier for consumers to make better decisions quickly, so that they can “Go ahead and snack” or “Go ahead and sip.”

Vending machines will also post nutrition facts labels to allow patients, visitors and colleagues to make better choices. Additionally, healthy options will be the lowest priced items in vending machines and be placed in the most visible locations.

To be considered a healthy “green” option at St. Joseph’s Hospital, food and snacks meet the following standards:

• Less than or equal to 400 Calories for Entrees or 250 Calories for Snacks and Sides
• Less than or equal to 10 grams Fat (excluding unsalted nut and seed varieties that are rich in heart healthy monounsaturated fats)
• Less than or equal to 3 grams Saturated Fat
• 0 grams Trans Fat
• Less than or equal to 600 mg Sodium for Entrees or 250 mg Sodium for Snacks and Sides
• Less than or equal to 20 grams Sugar (excluding dried fruits)

And healthy beverages include the following:

• Plain or sparkling water, with no calorie or non-caloric sweetener with or without fruit essence and mineral waters that contain 10 mg sodium per 8 ounce serving
• 100% Fruit Juice
• 100% Vegetable Juice (150 calories, 150mg sodium per serving)
• Unsweetened Coffee and Tea
• Low Fat Milk and Unsweetened Low Fat Dairy Alternatives
• Added sugar is not one of the first 3 ingredients on the food label.
• Zero calorie artificially sweetened beverages

Food choices may include dried fruit, whole fruit, nuts and seeds, baked chips, granola bars, protein bars, low-fat yogurt and whole-grain baked goods.

“These options help to ensure much healthier selections, while still providing a lot of variety,” Welch added. “We want to help people make choices for foods and drinks that they enjoy, while also understanding how to eat those foods and drink those beverages in moderation.”

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a part of Trinity Health.