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Fit Pick, the National Automatic Merchandising Association's (NAMA) new nutrition standard program, was recently featured six time on the New York Times Square Jumbotron as part of the a campaign to unveil the program nationally, NAMA President and CEO Richard M. Geerdes, NCE announced. The unveiling was held in conjunction with an event in Clark County, Wash. where county officials announced they have chosen to formally adopt Fit Pick for all of the county's vending machines.

In discussing the excitement surrounding Fit Pick Geerdes said, "From coast-to-coast Fit Pick has captured the attention of operators and consumers alike. In Washington State, Clark County officials decided to abandon the county's own health and wellness vending program once they saw Fit Pick, and decided to adopt our program instead. Articles about Fit Pick are running across the country, and in New York, our Fit Pick logo even ran on the Time Square Jumbotron six times during rush hour. It's exciting to see this program becoming so popular."

Fit Pick is the latest health and wellness tool created by NAMA as part of its Balanced for Life national health and wellness initiative and includes two nutrition standard choices:

Fit Pick Standard -- Products that are less than 35 percent fat, less than 10 percent saturated fat, and less than 35 percent total weight in sugar with nuts and seeds excluded;

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation Standard -- This standard begins with the 35-10-35 guidelines mentioned above, but adds caps on sodium, trans-fat, and calories.

Each Fit Pick package provides all the materials necessary to implement that particular standard. The program includes stickers that can be placed in front of qualifying products, thin clings that explain the nutrition standard, coin slot stickers and round stickers to help educate consumers, and a list of products that meet the specified nutrition standard.

The Fit Pick program was initially available only to members of NAMA. After the program was officially unveiled, however, a variety of organizations expressed interest in formally adopting Fit Pick. As a result, Fit Pick is now available nationally to members and non-members alike. To learn more about Fit Pick or order materials visit www.fitpick.org.

Concluded Geerdes, "Across the country, organizations are looking to integrate health and wellness into their vending programs, but typically they have no idea where to begin or how to do it. Our Fit Pick program is easy to use and can help anyone with vending machines promote products that meet specific nutrition guidelines. We are thrilled with the response to our Fit Pick program and look forward to working with more organizations as our campaign continues to unfold."