Massachusetts Lawmakers Revisit Healthy Vending Bill

BOSTON -- Massachusetts lawmakers are reconsidering a bill that would require food and drinks sold in vending machines on state property to comply with nutritional standards that would be set by the Department of Public Health commissioner.

The bill outlines three possible sets of nutrition standards that range from requiring that all the machine food and beverage options be "healthy" to 30% meeting the standards. The American Heart Association is advocating for a middle ground of 50%.

The bill (H 3988), a redrafted version of legislation filed by Rep. Stephen Kulik in January 2015, was given favorable recommendations by the Joint Committee on Public Health and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. It is now before the House Ways and Means Committee for which Kulik is vice-chair.

The proposed legislation was originally filed in 2014, and no further action was taken after it was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee in late July of that year.

Massachusetts' formal legislative session ends July 31.