VENDING QUALITY Processors of machine-sold meats work to dispel negative perceptions By Larry Aylward meat&poultry@sosland.com I f only vending machines could talk. Then they could tell consumers that the meat products filling their square slots actually taste good and are safe to eat. But because vending machines only purr and drone, they can leave a lot of unanswered questions from consumers about product quality. Like hospital cafeteria food, a stigma is associated with the quality and safety of food in vending machines that suppliers are working hard to shake. Reasons abound why consumers might not trust meat products, from deli sandwiches to burgers to meat snacks, sold in vending machines. They wonder how long the products have been sitting in a machine. They wonder if they are packaged properly and safely. They wonder what's really in the meat. 42 I MEAT&POULTRY I December 2005 I www.MEATPOULTRY.comhttp://www.MEATPOULTRY.com