Healthy Snacking On The Way For Baltimore City Workers

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Healthy snacking is on the way for all city workers. Baltimore rolled out a new plan to get healthy vending machines in its buildings.

As Gigi Barnett reports, more than 1,000 machines are up and running.

Work day hunger strikes. Many people reach for a fast candy bar.

Now, city workers have another option. They include baked chips, granola bars, water and juice.

"You figure you want a snack that will boost your energy, but you don't want to go for the potato chips or the Reese's chips or the M&M's," said Rhonda Daniel, Baltimore health worker.

The city rolled out 1,000 of these new healthy vending machines in all city-owned buildings this week.

Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen's office spearheaded the effort.

"If everything that's in the vending machine is chips and soda, then we don't have any option for eating better. We want to give employees the option to choose healthier foods," said Dr. Wen.

Howard County recently approved a plan to do the same thing after months of back and forth debate between council members.

County Executive Alan Kittleman was against the move to healthier vending. He says telling workers what to eat isn't the government's job.

"Trust and freedom. I trust Howard County residents and Howard County employees to make their own decisions regarding what they eat and drink," Kittleman said.

But that isn't how some city workers see the healthier options.

"Today, everybody was bragging, except a little bit about prices. Otherwise, they are really happy," said Rafiq Miazad, Baltimore health worker.

But what about the price? Sometimes health food can cost a little bit more than junk food. The health commissioner says she's addressed that, and she's making sure the prices are competitive.

"We need to make sure that the health choice is the easier choice, and that it's not so expensive that people will say, 'Wow, this is ten times more expensive, so I'm going to go with that Snicker's bar instead,'" said Wen.

For city workers who do want to indulge their sweet tooth, some vending machines still offer some candy bars.