[This article was originally published on The Food Rush]

When you think of a healthy lunch at work, your first choice is probably not the vending machine.

Vending machines usually evoke images of sugary, fatty, and processed snacks. But that is about to change: a vending machine revolution is brewing. A wave of companies are stocking vending machines with healthy foods like fresh salads, protein-packed snacks, and “better for you” treats like organic chocolate chip cookies.

Healthy Vending Machines, Enabled by Technology

Capitalizing on the increasing demand for healthy food without sacrificing convenience, startups are using technology to build the vending machines of the future.

ByteFoods, based in San Francisco, provides fresh, local options through their “smart fridge” healthy vending machine. Customers can swipe their credit card, open the door, grab their meal or snack, and walk away. Sensors in the fridge detect what has been taken, and the credit card is automatically charged. Gone are the days of getting chips when you wanted gum just because of fat fingers and tiny buttons.

Based out of Boston, LeanBox also uses technology to improve the dining experience and quality of food. LeanBox customers order via an app that’s running on a tablet computer. This app also helps LeanBox to manage their inventory by tracking which items are popular and at what times. This technology ensures that the vending machines always have fresh food, and that each machine is optimized to provide the kinds of food that the customers in that location want. The company commits to stocking their healthy vending machines every other day with a diverse and rotating menu of snacks, meals, and drinks.

Fresh Healthy Vending is also using technology to improve the customer experience. Their healthy vending machines come with a multimedia touchscreen that displays product advertisements and allows customers to play games.

Think of an arcade video game where the prizes are healthy snacks instead of plastic toys or tickets. The screen also displays nutritional information to help customers make appropriate and informed choices. And the screens are integrated with social media, so you can tell your twitter followers about your tasty prize.

The Future of Healthy Lunch at Work

Many of these startups provide healthy lunch and snack options to office workers. Corporate employees are often pressed for time and limited by their location, yet they are increasingly looking for healthy options.

Healthy vending machines are a 24-hour solution that’s convenient and healthy. Employees get a cheaper lunch option without having to leave the office.

To realize this vision, startups are selling their healthy vending machines to office managers and human resources. They claim a number of benefits for companies who install healthy vending machines for their employees.

For example, vending machines are cheaper and use less space than a café, and can save office managers time by eliminating the need to order catering. Employees will also stay at work longer, as they don’t have to leave for lunch. To give you a sense of price, ByteFoods charges an employer $500 per month for their vending machines.

Vending machines also give employers ways to incentivize their staff to eat healthier. Employers can, for example, subsidize the cost of the healthy products to make them cheaper. LeanBox promotes programs where employers can give vending machine credits to employees who achieve milestones or exceed performance expectations.

The idea is that both employees and employers benefit: employers are healthier and therefore more productive, and employers may be able to claim insurance benefits.

A Vending Machine Makeover

Revolutionizing the vending machine experience will take more than technology and new business models. Healthy vending machine startups must help their customers overcome the ingrained perception that vending machines are unhealthy and only provide stale, processed snacks.

Re-branding is one big step being tackled in a variety of ways.

All Real Food is using entirely different terminology: instead of “vending machine,” they call their product a “self-service café.”

Other companies, like The Füd Revolution, hope to change perceptions by updating vending machine aesthetics. Their vending machines have a wood exterior and look more like an upscale lemonade stand.

In addition to changing the exterior, companies are changing the packaging of the products within the healthy vending machines. Instead of foil bags and plastic wrappers, customers can find yogurt parfaits and organic salads in glass jars.

And although startups are leading the healthy vending machine revolution, existing vending machine companies are not going to give up their territory without a fight. Companies like Canteen and Vend Natural are adding healthier options to their existing machines.

Canteen, for example, has launched an ENR.G line of vending machines stocked with gluten free, vegan, organic, and non-GMO options. Others, like EatWave, entice hungry customers with the promise of a warm meal: they have built a microwave into their vending machine so customers can get hot food like burritos on the go.

Sustainable Vending Machines

Many of these companies are also thinking about the environmental footprint of their healthy vending machines. For example, companies are using energy efficient lights and trying to lower the energy consumption of their machines overall.

Farmer’s Fridge takes the notion of sustainability even further. Based in Chicago, Farmer’s Fridge vending machines are located in high traffic public areas like food courts and serve fresh salads in recyclable jars. Customers can return the empty jars to the same machine to reduce waste. Farmer’s Fridge collects, cleans, and reuses all the containers.

Have you ever tried lunch from one of these healthy vending machines? Was it as quick, healthy, and tasty as you hoped? Will healthy vending machines become a ubiquitous lunchtime experience? Tell us what you think!