Free Republic

At least 39 universities in 17 states have installed morning-after pill vending machines, and at least 20 more are considering them, the Associated Press reported, citing the American Society for Emergency Contraception. “With some states enacting abortion bans and others enshrining protections and expanding access to birth control, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available,” according to the report.

Citing the precedent established by his executive order mandating covid vaccinations as a condition of being allowed to hold a job, President Biden solved the problem of inadequate access to abortions by issuing a mandate requiring all states receiving any federal money to provide free abortions to whoever wants them. The President pointed out that "this much more lenient mandate actually expands people's rights in a way that the vaccine mandate did not. With the vaccine mandate everyone who wanted to keep their job was required to take the vaccine injections. Right now, my abortion mandate allows those who don't...

New York City health officials have announced a plan to install 10 “public health vending machines” that would dispense sterile syringes, an anti-overdose medication and other “harm reduction” supplies to help neighborhoods that have been hit hard by drug overdoses.

The Maryland state senate begins hearings Wednesday on the “Maryland Healthy Vending Act.” The bill requires 75% of the items in vending machines on property owned or managed by the state to meet healthy standards. […] The legislation not only mandates the carrying of healthy snack choices, but also mandates the stocking of the vending machine in a manner where healthy options are “in a position with the highest selling potential.” …

The Food and Drug Administration is going to try its hand at shaming consumers into making healthier choices when they go out to eat. Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the FDA announced a controversial and expansive rule that will require certain establishments with 20 or more locations -- including chain restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, and movie theaters -- to post calorie information on their menus and menu boards. A separate rule was also issued requiring operators of 20 or more vending machines to post calorie information. Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act, a provision included in the law...

The federal government formally completed regulations that will force vending machines and restaurants to display calorie information, which can lead to businesses being fined thousands of dollars for not including the number of calories in a mayonnaise packet. The regulations, which originated in Obamacare, total 319 pages and will cost industry $1.7 billion to comply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the final rules last week just before the Thanksgiving holiday, arguing the rules are “an important step for public health.” The final rules increased costs by $542 million from the proposed rules, totaling $531.1 million for vending machines,...

Candy, chips and a helping of ObamaCare. It's already disrupted the health-care marketplace. Now, the Affordable Care Act is infiltrating vending machines. Yep, a provision in the Affordable Care Act requires vending machines to display the calorie content of all food items. The FDA finalized the regulations April 3. If you know the calorie content of an item, you might make a more healthy choice. Or so the thinking goes.

Ever have a sudden urge for crisp-crusted, ooey-gooey, cheesy pizza? You want it STAT. Not in the time it takes to preheat the oven to 500 degrees for a frozen pizza. Not in the 20 minutes it takes for the pizza delivery guy to arrive. And certainly not in however many hours it would take to make homemade dough and marinara sauce. Get ready for Let's Pizza, a pizza vending machine that promises to deliver a piping hot pizza pie made from scratch in less than three minutes. The brainchild of Italian entrepreneur Claudio Torghel, the machine will be distributed...

‘Food Day’ was earlier this week, an event sponsored by The Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI). To celebrate the CSPI released their ‘Terrible Ten’ food list. It seems fitting that this list was released just before Halloween, as it makes ‘monsters’ out of food. “Vending machines dispensing soft drinks and candy are the ubiquitous, mute, metallic monsters that promote unhealthy diets 24/7”, according to the list. Even Toucan Sam is among CSPI’s list of terrors, “Kellogg’s Froot Loops, a fruit-less sugary cereal gussied up with synthetic dyes, is one of a host of junk foods marketed heavily...

Machines that dispense gold bars are set to make their debut in Beijing on Sep 23.The machines will dispense gold bars weighing up to 2.5 kilograms and work just like the normal automatic teller machines (ATMs), cnr.cn reported, citing sources close to the matter. The machines can accept both cash and credit cards. The cash-for-gold machines will be on trial at Beijing's upscale clubs and private banks during the initial period for security reasons. The gold ATMs have been launched by German company TG Gold-Super-Markt and are at present in existence in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Spain and...

FDA Sets Rules for Vending Machine Calorie Info By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today Published: April 01, 2011 Click here to provide feedback WASHINGTON -- Chain restaurants, vending machines, and convenience stores would all have to prominently display the calorie counts of their foods under two proposed rules released by the FDA Friday. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated that vending machines and food establishments with 20 or more locations -- which includes fast-food restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and certain grocery and convenience stores -- display the calorie counts of their food items. The new rules would implement...

A train station vending machine in China is offering its commuters a different kind of snack - live crabs. The Dazha hairy crab, which is a popular delicacy in Nanjing, the southeastern province of Jiangsu, is sold in three sizes - small, medium or large - and range in price from 1.50 pounds to 5.00 pounds. They are packed into custom-fitted plastic boxes and chilled to 5C, leaving them sedated but still very much alive, and customers have been offered three crabs free should they get a dead one. A local company installed the automated vending machines distributing the crabs...

"WINE VENDING MACHINES of different kinds are spreading in different venues, which is great for consumers, wineries, and stores. A couple weeks ago I mentioned the Pennsylvania test market for buying bottled wine at kiosks (Wegman’s is one of the participating stores). "Corks & More, a wine store in Ithaca, is one of a handful of stores statewide that has wine-by-the-glass vending machines. You put your debit card in and get wine out by the taste, half-glass or glass. Ten vending machines dispense 40 wines, ranging from Opus One ($50 a glass) to Red Cat (75 cents a taste), with...

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - Consumers needing a cell phone or accessories on the run have a new option now that Motorola Inc. has rolled out a series of what the company calls "robotic stores." The vending machinelike stores unveiled Wednesday will carry about 30 products, initially including 12 phones and 18 accessories, said Bob Many, Motorola's director of automated retailing. The "Instantmoto" will go into 20 malls and airports nationwide as part of a pilot program. Chicago has three outlets operating, including one in the Macy's store downtown. The program will be expanded depending on its success, Many said. Phone customers...

A group of dedicated health specialists met again this week to fine-tune its plan to encourage every school in Maine to get rid of sodas, chips and other non-nutritional items. They have put together an information packet warning against soda and chips as major causes of a current epidemic of obesity and tooth decay throughout the country but especially in Maine. The packet includes research articles and fact sheets designed to persuade students, parents, teachers and school administrators that the campaign is one tangible, practical means of improving health and heading off future disease. The committee has met with vending...