The School District of Palm Beach County is committed to making school campuses healthier. Since March 2007, the District has been working with all the awarded vendors in an effort to align all school vending machines with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s - Memorandums of Understanding (MOU). The MOU focus on reducing the portion sizes of beverages and snacks while establishing specific nutrition parameters. The guidelines recommend that beverage and snack choices provide less than 35% calories from fat, less than 10% of calories from saturated fat, and no more than 35% of sugar by weight.

On April 22, 2010 a second District vending contract was approved - Bid 10C-60D Term Contract for Beverage and Snack Vending Services. In a collaborative effort, the School Food Service (SFS) Department evaluates all products submitted from awarded vendors through the bid process.

The contract addresses specific requirements for all approved awardees:

• default_titleAll awarded companies will immediately ensure that all vended products upon award of this contract will adhere to products determined acceptable by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Failure to follow this may result in cancellation of this contract up to and including debarment.
• default_titleThe District will also require that all products be verified for their adherence to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s guidelines prior to sale in the District.
• default_titleIn order to accelerate migration to lower-calorie and nutritious products in schools, all awardees will work with the District in the spirit of mutual financial fairness to amend the terms of existing contract to change the product mix described and approved by the District.
• default_titleAll machines must be equipped with timers in order to control their ability to vend and not vend at the appropriate time.
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The contract duration is two years with the option of 3 one year renewals. The initial two year contract timeframe was complete. The District has renewed the contract for the second of the three – one year renewal periods. This Beverages and Snack Vending Services contract has one more year renewal period and will expire on April 21, 2015.