Vending

Sean Duffy pushes fresh vending in $1B airport overhaul

Photo: Farmer's Fridge

January 15, 2026

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is calling for a "Golden Age" of travel, centered on a $1 billion initiative to modernize airport terminals with healthier food options and family-friendly amenities.

In a move targeting the vending and automated retail sectors, Duffy used a press briefing at Reagan National Airport to highlight fresh-food kiosks as the preferred model for the future of airport dining. Standing alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Luke Saunders, CEO of Farmer's Fridge, Duffy praised the refrigerated vending machines as an example of how airports can offer "fresh, whole foods" to travelers on the go.

"Everyone who passes through an airport in this country should have access to fresh, whole foods," said Kennedy, who joined Duffy to emphasize the "Make Travel Family Friendly Again" campaign.

Farmer's Fridge's refrigerated vending machines are an example of how airports can offer "fresh, whole foods" to travelers on the go, Saunders said. His company has used airport modernization phases to launch smart-fridge networks in hubs like San Diego International, Pittsburgh International and Harry Reid International in Las Vegas.

The $1 billion in federal funding, sourced from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Airport Terminal Program, signed into law in 2021 by former President Joe Biden, will be used to incentivize airports to install family-oriented infrastructure. While the funds primarily target physical upgrades like nursing pods, play areas and sensory rooms, the administration is using the program to pressure airport authorities and private partners to pivot away from processed snacks toward nutritional "grab-and-go" solutions.

Duffy has been vocal in his criticism of current airline and airport offerings, recently labeling traditional complimentary snacks as "fattening" and "full of sugar."

Airports have until Jan. 15, 2026, to submit project proposals to the Department of Transportation to compete for the first round of funding under the new criteria.