Vending in education


Vending is key to COVID safety in education


Vending has always been present in educational settings, but usually as the support act for the main catering operation. In the post-pandemic world we now find ourselves in, it has an opportunity to do a lot more.


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n order to safeguard students and staff, everything we can do to minimise risk is important and this is where vending can step in. Not only can these customers get their hands on


hygienic pre-packaged refreshment, they also have the ability to access and pay for them touch free. But vending also provides another crucial service


in the post-COVID world – it’s a hassle-free source of today’s must-have personal protective equipment (PPE) items, such as masks and hand sanitisers, that are so essential in educational establishments.


InnovatIon


Laura Barwell, business development manager at VMC explains: “Despite schools in the UK being back in attendance, many are still not running their usual catering service due to reduced staffing levels and adhering to social distancing rules, and this is where vending can step up. “Instead of just utilising machines for snack


products, why not use them to make more substantial chilled food and drink items available to students? There is also an opportunity to add different essential items into these machines, like hand sanitiser gel and face masks, to support the ongoing COVID requirements.” Paul Hearne , managing director for Selecta UK


& IE says Selecta has answered the call for hygiene items in schools and colleges with its Sterizen X touchless, automatic hand sanitiser and its Safety Station vending machine which provides instant access to essential safety products necessary for high-traffic areas. Research by the NUS and Youthsight showed


that coffee shops and cafes are the most important services for students, but the key is to offer them coffee machines with as few unnecessary touch points as possible. Thanks to innovation in the last 18 months, such


as the Distance Selection coffee machines, the education sector can satisfy a demand for touch- free hot beverages. Mr Lee’s Pure Foods has also come up with new


safe and hygienic solution. COO Martin Verspeak says: “With colleges and universities opening up again, it’s going to be crucial for the vending industry to adjust to the new reality and adapt to COVID-19 secure measures. “In order to minimise the risk of the spread of


16 | vendinginternational-online.com


COVID-19, we have developed a browser based hands-free solution for our vending machine which allows customers to buy our products without having to touch the screen.” He adds: “In educational settings it’s going to be


important to offer a diverse range of healthy hot on-the-go foods. Our new product range including porridges, congees and noodles launching in Spring 2021 will widen our variety and allow us to satisfy students’ needs at any time of the day from breakfast through to dinner.”


ContaCtless


The ability to pay for food and drinks with minimal contact has also become crucial to everyone who is trying to get back to normal after lockdown. Ms Barwell of VMC says: “With safety and


hygiene now top of the list for any business taking payment, contactless has become the preferred way to pay during the pandemic, and vending is no exception. “During the last year we have seen the


demand for our Vendotek contactless readers surge. This is because they have enabled venues with closed or reducing catering operations, like colleges and universities, to continue providing a good selection of food and drinks. Adding contactless payment to the machines also reduces the risk of theft, and the need for staff contact and cash handling.”


ConClusIon


In education there is clearly an opportunity for vending to play more of a key role in making catering and other supplies more easily accessible to students, which in turns also helps those establishments meet the COVID guidelines.


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