SFU students pulling all-nighters atop Burnaby Mountain will soon be able to pick something more nutritious than instant noodles for a midnight snack thanks to a fancy new vending machine coming to the university’s West Mall Centre.
SFU has partnered with UpMeals, a company that supplies and stocks so-called “smart vending machines” that dispense fresh packaged meals.
The exact contents of the SFU machine will be decided based on feedback from students during a survey in the next couple of weeks, according to UpMeals co-founder and CEO Drew Munro, but UpMeals machines already in operation in a few condo towers and office buildings in Vancouver and Richmond stock “combination of healthy treats, cold-pressed juices, wraps, healthy salads, bowls and even entrees,” he said.
Students will be able to buy healthy meals and snacks from the West Mall Centre machine 24/7 starting in September.
“The goal is that students that are studying, that are working late at night, should be able to access quality food and not have to be eating instant noodles or KD or some of the things that sometimes students are forced to eat,” Munro told the NOW.
When it comes to price, however, he admits his company’s products won’t be able to compete with those starving-student staples.
“We’re certainly not going to be offering a fresh meal for cheaper than a pack of instant noodles, but we’re really viewing us as a direct competitor to things like Uber Eats and DoorDash,” he said.
Besides dispensing fresh food that’ll be between 20% and 40% cheaper than comparable items bought through a food delivery app, Munro said the UpMeals vending machine will also be the more sustainable choice.
He pointed out that food delivery apps currently make many trips a day up the mountain – often carrying just a single meal for a single person.
UpMeals meals are produced in a HAACP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) certified kitchen in South Vancouver and the SFU vending machine will be stocked based on data gathered from the machine, according to Munro.
Most of the food will be chilled, but a few items will be designed to be warmed for eating.
The West Mall Centre machine will be a pilot installation, Munro said, and the plan is to install more machines once student preferences are “dialed in.”
SFU director of food and ancillary services Dan Traviss said the university “thrilled” with the concept.
“The students, faculty and staff at Simon Fraser University are always searching for healthy food choices,” he said in a press release. “Ensuring our campuses are equipped with nourishing options at any hour of the day will support a healthy student body and mind.”
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