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VendingMarketWatch Top News Stories NAMA, CAVC And Blind Vendors Block Healthy Vending Bill R ecently, the California State Assembly placed assembly bill 459 on the suspense calendar, halting the legislation from moving forward in 2013, thanks in part to NAMA, the national association for vending and refreshment services and the California Automatic Vendors Council (CAVC) as well as the California Blind Vendors Group. Assembly bill 459 would have required that at Associations fight to give fair snack choices Dell least 50 percent to vending consumers. of the food offered by a vendor in a vending machine on state property meet accepted nutritional guidelines by Jan. 1, 2015. The bill would further require 75 percent compliance with accepted nutritional guidelines by Jan. 1, 2016, and 100 percent compliance by Jan. 1, 2017. On and after Jan. 1, 2016, the bill would also require that 100 percent of beverages offered by a vendor in a vending machine on state property also meet the accepted nutritional guidelines. "It's very simple: we as an association and an industry are working hard to advocate for consumer choice. Consumers should have the right to choose their own snacks and beverages and we will continue to work hard to provide them with the information they need to make the choice that's right for them," said Eric Dell, NAMA's senior vice president of government affairs, in a prepared statement. NAMA Members Fight Anti-Vending Legislation ▶ NAMA reports its mem- bers on opposite sides of the country recently stepped up their individual efforts to lobby against two bills that could have serious impact on the vending industry in their respective states. In Oregon, John Powell (NAVA Oregon Legislative Consultant), Dan Lind of Cascade 10 Automatic Merchandiser Vending and a number of blind operators testifed before the House Health Care Committee on April 8 regarding H.B. 3403, a bill that sought to mandate healthier snacks in vending machines located in public buildings. In Vermont, Brent Farrell, owner of Vitality Vending, testifed before the Senate Finance Committee on April 12 regarding H. 528, a bill that would effectively create a disparate and VendingMarketWatch.com June 2013 unfair "meals" tax on items sold in vending machines. VendScreen Adds Jim Brinton To Board ▶ VendScreen announces Brinton Jim Brinton, former chairman of NAMA, past president and chairman of Unifed Strategies Group (USG), president of Evergreen Vending and CEO of Avanti Markets, has joined its executive board. Healthy Vending Legislation Could Affect The Blind ▶ National Public Radio recently discussed the negative impact mandating healthy vending products in federal buildings would have on the livelihood of blind vending operators. Requiring a specifc product mix, which is being done in Oregon, has been shown in some cases to reduce sales, which would lower the income for more than 2,000 blind vendors in that state. Little Debbie Updates 20 Year Old Logo ▶ McKee Foods, the mak- ers of Little Debbie Snacks, has given the Little Debbie logo a makeover. This new version is only the third update since the Little Debbie brand was introduced in 1960. The new logo is still based on the original photograph of McKee Foods Executive Vice President Debbie McKee-Fowler, when she was three-and-a-half years old.