Vending machines have long been a staple in high school, providing students with easy access to snacks and drinks during busy school days. At PHS, however, recent changes to the snack and drink options in vending machines have caused varying opinions and discussions among students and faculty. This shift in snack choices comes in part as a result of working with PPS’s new food provider, Pomptonian Food Services, and a stricter adherence to state nutrition guidelines.

As administrators strive to balance state regulations with student preferences, PHS vending machines have become a testing ground to find the right mix of health guidelines, pricing, and taste.

The decisions regarding what goes in the vending machines are complex, involving both the school district and third-party providers who stock the machines. Pomptonian manages the food in the cafeteria, but is not directly responsible for stocking the vending machines.

“It’s just the transition between one school food service and the next. This piece of the vending machine has kind of fallen into a vague area that we are still trying to figure out,” said Dean of Students Diana Lygas, one of the main coordinators between PHS and Pomptonian.

For now, a third party vending machine company continues to replenish snacks based on sales trends and overall availability.

In addition to a change in providers, state regulations limiting the grams of sugar in the vending machine products have resulted in alternative snacks and drinks such as baked Cheetos, zero-sugar Gatorade, and reduced-fat Doritos being stocked in the machines. However, as long as the food adheres to the regulations, the school is working to provide what the students want.

“We are trying to get enough data [for what] our students’ preferences are,” said PHS Principal Cecilia Birge. “We can still bring some of the favorites back while meeting the guidelines; [those are] improvements that we’re hoping to make together with Pomptonian.”

In an effort to gain student input on the vending machines, Lygas recently conducted a Canvas survey. In the survey, many students have expressed that they would like to see non-diet gatorade, chips, and fruit snacks back in the machines. PHS will be working with Pomptonian Food Services and a third-party vendor to provide food in the vending machines that meets everyone’s needs.

“What is popular, what’s not, it takes a little time for the company to get used to,” said PPS Business Administrator Matthew Bouldin. “So we’re definitely listening to the feedback. We want to hear what [people] like and what [they] don’t like.”