“I’ll drop the snack if you drop and give me 20.” Some UB students got more than they bargained for recently when they received this command from a campus vending machine as they attempted to purchase a snack.

The “talking” vending machine is the star of three videos produced by the Independent Health Foundation promoting its Healthy Options® program. The students unknowingly played supporting roles in the videos, which were released in early March via the foundation’s social media channels.

In the videos, the vending machine gives the students the option of eating something healthier or performing a task, such as jumping jacks or push-ups, to earn their original choice. The machine’s messages, themed around healthy living practices, are titled Work off Your Snack, “Read the Ingredients” and “Make a Promise to Eat Healthier.”

“We are extremely grateful to UB for allowing us the opportunity to create these entertaining talking vending machine videos that encourage people to make healthier eating choices,” says Carrie Meyer, executive director of the Independent Health Foundation.

The foundation has been working with the Buffalo Public Schools and has started to work with several SUNY colleges and universities — including SUNY Potsdam, SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Buffalo State — as part of the Healthy Options® program and hopes to expand to more SUNY schools, including UB, in the near future.

The foundation is partnering with the schools to provide healthier meal options for students, faculty and guests.

“We are thrilled to partner with Buffalo Public Schools and SUNY on the Healthy Options initiative,” says Meyer. “Students who select healthier options at a young age are more likely to continue doing so throughout adulthood.”