Fizzy drinks and sweets are to be swapped for fruit juice and raisins as Liverpool’s Lifestyles centres introduce healthy vending machines.

Lifestyles users will be encouraged to make healthy food choices at eleven centres as water, yoghurts, protein bars and fruit replace high fat products such as crisps and chocolate.

 Three million visits are made to Lifestyles centres each year, with more than half a million items of food and drink purchased.  With the majority of users being families and young children, the initiative aims to help people get in to the habit of making healthier choices and reduce their sugar intake. Children’s drinks that can now be bought are in line with the healthy food and snacks policy employed in schools.

The state of the art, touch screen machines will be supplied by Totally Delicious Ltd and are currently being installed. The new agreement will also see a new café created at Lifestyles Aquatics Centre in Wavertree.

Assistant Mayor and cabinet member responsible for Lifestyles, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:

“As a council we are committed to promoting good health and want to do as much as we can to make it as easy as possible to make the right choices when it comes to what they eat and drink. As we’re proactively encouraging people to get more active, it makes perfect sense that the vending machines at our Lifestyles centres support our healthy ethos and offer tasty food, which supports a balanced diet or active lifestyle and is value for money. It’s also great news that as part of the deal, the popular Aquatics Centre will have a new eating area which will seat more than 30 people and will be a welcome addition to the venue.”

A report on the new vending machines will be considered by the Culture, Tourism and Events Select Committee tonight (Tues 8 March).

 The Lifetsyles Centres which will have a healthy vending machine are:

Alsop, Austin Rawlinson, Cardinal Heenan, Ellergreen, Everton Park, Garston, Millennium, Park Road, Peter Lloyd, and Wavertree Aquatics Centre and Liverpool Tennis Centre.

Photograph Jon Parker Lee