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Pepsi unveils ‘good-for-you’ vending machines without Pepsi

Posted at 12:01 AM, Dec 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-15 00:01:25-05
Pepsi unveiled a new vending machine that offers "good- and better-for-you product choices" that include potato chips and caffeinated fruit drinks.

Pepsi unveiled a new vending machine that offers “good- and better-for-you product choices” that include potato chips and caffeinated fruit drinks.

Pepsi unveiled a new vending machine that offers “good- and better-for-you product choices” that include potato chips and caffeinated fruit drinks.

The new Hello Goodness vending machines will hit the market next year and offer snack-seekers various Pepsi products like Naked Juice drinks, Lay’s Oven Baked potato chips, SunChips, Nacho Cheese Doritos, Gatorade, Mountain Dew Kickstart and Sabra ready-to-eat hummus kits.

When asked whether the company considered these options to be healthy, Pepsi said that the Doritos are reduced fat, and that some of the offerings were gluten free and fat free.

“Our goal is to give consumers more choice when it comes to what they eat and drink and we’re providing the choices they want,” Pepsi spokesperson Gina Anderson told CNNMoney. “Given our vast food and beverage portfolio, we’re able to include a wide variety of options and products in this machine that cover categories such as lower-calorie, lower-sodium, multigrain and 100% juice.”

One thing you won’t find is the company’s flagship brand: Pepsi.

While soda consumption is still high in the U.S., consumers have been seeking healthier alternatives. A 2014 Gallup poll showed that almost two-thirds of Americans say they avoid drinking soda while more than half work to cut out sugar.

The Hello Goodness machines will have touch screens that display the nutritional information of the products and can also suggest food and beverage pairings based on the time of day. A user looking for an afternoon pick-me-up would get a different suggestion than a morning snacker.

The company said it will place thousands of machines in a variety of locations throughout 2016, including healthcare, governmental and educational facilities.