Vending machines in hospitals and nursing homes in Spain will no longer be synonymous with pastries, sugary drinks, and salty snacks. Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 It is preparing a Royal Decree that will require that, at a minimum, 80% of what these devices offer be foods with a healthy nutritional profile.
This reform will affect both publicly and privately owned centers and will also extend to other social and healthcare spaces, such as health centers or day centersThe idea of the department headed by Pablo Bustinduy is that these environments, where many people spend hours accompanying patients or living long stays, will cease to be places where it is practically impossible to find something healthy to eat.
What will change in vending machines in hospitals and nursing homes?
The central theme of the new regulation is clear: at least eight out of ten products The options available in vending machines in hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities must be considered healthy. The goal is for these machines to shift from being a point of sale focused on ultra-processed foods to a resource that facilitates more balanced food choices.
According to the Consumer Affairs Ministry, the regulation will form part of the Royal Decree on Healthy Food in Hospitals and ResidencesA joint regulation with the Ministry of Health aims to regulate what is offered in dining halls and cafeterias, as well as in vending machines. It's not just about changing a few products, but about establishing a... nutritional quality standard for the entire healthcare and social care environment.
Minister Pablo Bustinduy has insisted that when a person accompanies a hospitalized relative, they often encounter the “practical impossibility” of finding a healthy alternative in vending machines. In his opinion, these are changes that may seem minor, but they have a strong impact on the right to adequate food.
The measure is conceived as an obligation for companies that own vending machines in hospitals, nursing homes, and other centers included in the decree. In other words, it will not be a simple recommendation, but a mandatory requirement. legal requirement once the regulation comes into force.
What will be considered healthy food in the vending machines?
The Royal Decree details the types of products that must make up that 80% healthy portion. In practice, the bulk of the offering will have to consist of water, milk, fresh fruit, yogurts without added sugar, fruit juices, Non-fried, low-salt nutsas well as whole-grain breads and sandwiches. It also opens the door to other items with a similar nutritional profile.
The ministry's intention is that the machine's initial visual impact will encourage users to choose. options of better nutritional qualityThis moves away from the current model where products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats are the norm. In this way, a family member who has spent the entire afternoon in the emergency room will have fruit or natural yogurt on hand instead of having a processed pastry or a sugary drink as their only options.
Among the foods being promoted are staple products that traditionally form part of healthy dietary patterns, such as Mediterranean dietWater as the main beverage, dairy products without added sugar, whole grains, and whole fruits. The aim is to replace the usual highly processed products with simple alternativesbut nutritionally more interesting.
This reorganization doesn't completely prohibit the presence of less healthy products, but it does relegate them to a clearly secondary role. They will only be allowed to occupy up to 20% of the offer and they will have very strict limitations on where they can be placed inside the machine.
Ultra-processed foods, out of the spotlight
The decree emphasizes reduce the appeal of ultra-processed foods inside vending machines. These products will continue to exist in a minority percentage, but they will no longer be able to occupy the central rows or the most visible areas that usually capture the user's attention first.
Consumer defines these products as complex industrial formulation foodsThese products contain processed ingredients, additives, and a high content of saturated fats, sugars, or salt. This category includes a large portion of savory snacks, pastries, sugary drinks, and many commercially produced cookies—precisely the items that dominate store displays today.
The new regulation will require that these less recommended foods be moved to the lower rows or other areas of lower visibilityThe goal is that, at first glance, the user sees the healthy options first, while ultra-processed foods take a back seat and require a more deliberate choice.
In practice, this will mean that if a machine displays, for example, chocolates or pastries, these products cannot be in the center of the consumer's field of vision. The aim is to leverage what is known about how [their influence] the position and accessibility in quick purchasing decisions, especially in situations of tiredness or stress such as those experienced in hospitals.
Sugar-free hot drinks by default and free access to water
The Royal Decree also addresses how beverages are offered. In the case of coffee, tea, or other hot beverage machines, the new regulation will require that they dispense sugar-free by defaultThe user may add sugar if they wish, with a maximum limit of 5 grams.
Currently, many machines serve coffee or hot chocolate already sweetened, making it difficult to know how much sugar you're consuming. With the new system, added sugar consumption will be tracked. more conscious and quantifiableby forcing the user to decide whether to incorporate it and up to what amount, within the limit set by the regulation.
Another relevant element is the obligation to install sources of free drinking water in the facilities where these measures are implemented. These water fountains must be clearly marked so that anyone can easily locate them without needing to buy bottled water from vending machines.
With this, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs aims to make tap water the default option, both from a health and household budget perspective. For those who spend long hours in a hospital accompanying a patient, this measure could represent a significant cost savings and less dependence on bottled drinks.
The combination of sugar-free hot drinks by default and free fountains fits with the overall theme of the decree: facilitating environments where the Choosing a healthy option is the easiest and most obvious choice., instead of something that requires extra effort.
Impact on children's menus and continuity with school cafeterias
The document doesn't just cover vending machines. The new regulations also provide for... Removal of ultra-processed foods from menus for children and adolescents hospitalized patients. This includes both the food they receive during their stay and the options of dishes and children's menus in cafeterias and dining rooms open to the public in these centers.
The idea is that a hospitalized child should not have nuggets, pastries, or soft drinks as their main option, but dishes that comply with health recommendations from organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). The aim is to especially protect the most vulnerable population during this fragile time.
This initiative is directly linked to the Royal Decree on Healthy and Sustainable School CafeteriasThe legislation, approved in April 2025, already established mandatory nutritional criteria for school and college menus. The new text for hospitals and care homes follows the same line, broadening the focus from the school environment to the health and social care sector.
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, both regulations respond to a growing social and scientific consensus Regarding the need to improve food in places where people depend heavily on what is offered on-site, both professional bodies and social organizations have long denounced the poor quality of food available in many of these centers.
In this context, the Government seeks to transform hospitals, nursing homes, and health centers into benchmarks for healthy food environmentsconsistent with the public health messages issued by the health institutions themselves.
Why are ultra-processed foods being targeted?
The impetus for this regulation is supported by a growing body of scientific evidence. A comprehensive analysis recently published in the journal The LancetBased on more than a hundred international studies, it warns that the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods has become a significant threat to public health.
This study links high intake of these products with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature mortalityIn parallel, it describes an accelerated shift from traditional dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, towards models dominated by highly processed products.
Spain appears in that analysis as one of the countries where the consumption of ultra-processed foods has grown the most in recent decades. In about 20 years, their contribution to the diet would have tripled, going from 11% to 32% of what is ingested, according to data cited by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
Organizations such as the WHO and UNICEF They have made explicit appeals to governments to curb this trend, noting that the global expansion of ultra-processed foods threatens children's health, equity, and well-being. Among the proposed measures, they emphasize the importance of regulating the key food environments, such as schools and hospitals, where people have little room to access alternative options.
Consumer Affairs takes these recommendations and adapts them to the Spanish context with specific measures regarding vending machines and menu offerings in healthcare centers and residences, with the intention of aligning public policies with scientific evidence available.
A sector with more than 390.000 vending machines
The potential scope of the measure is broad. The DBK Sector Observatory of Informa estimates that in Spain there are more than 390.000 vending machines of food and beverages. Although the new regulation is initially aimed at those located in hospitals, nursing homes and certain public centers, the ministry hopes that it will serve as a reference for the rest.
In recent years, part of this fleet of machines had already begun to incorporate somewhat healthier productsHowever, the Consumer Affairs department believes the change has been insufficient and too uneven across different areas. Hence the decision to establish clear minimum standards, at least in the most sensitive environments.
The ministry's ambition is that these requirements will become a nutritional quality standard This model could be extended to other spaces, such as universities, workplaces, sports facilities, or other high-traffic areas. It is possible that, over time, the model will be expanded to more contexts.
For companies in the vending sector, the change will mean adapt your offer and the way you display the productsAlthough vending machines with fruit, nuts, or wholemeal sandwiches are already visible, the new regulation will require a reorganization of catalogs and restocking so that most of the spaces are occupied by these types of items.
From the user's point of view, the immediate consequence will be to encounter machines more aligned with public health recommendationsespecially in places where, until now, the choice was heavily influenced by the almost exclusive presence of less desirable options.
The right to eat well and the upcoming regulation of advertising
Throughout his public statements on this topic, Pablo Bustinduy has insisted that “Feeding is not and cannot be a mere formality”For the minister, eating is part of social and cultural life and should not become a privilege reserved for those who can afford to choose or travel outside the hospital in search of alternatives.
Hence, he emphasizes the responsibility of public institutions when it comes to guarantee the right to healthy food and safe environments, especially for those in more vulnerable situations: people admitted, elderly people in residences, hospitalized minors or families who spend hours in waiting rooms.
The ministry frames this reform within a broader strategy, which includes as a next step the regulation of advertising of unhealthy foods aimed at childrenAccording to data from the Consumer Affairs department, a child in Spain can see an average of 11 advertisements a day, on television alone, for products considered unhealthy.
The stated intention is to address that front as well, with an eye toward reduce commercial pressure on minors and help curb the rise of ultra-processed foods among children. The minister himself has acknowledged that it will be a “complicated battle,” but believes there is broad social consensus on the need to take action.
The new regulations on vending machines and menus in hospitals and care homes are presented as a further step in a line of policies that seek transform the environments where we decide, almost without thinking, what we eatIf the vending machines in hospital corridors cease to be almost exclusively filled with pastries and soft drinks and are instead stocked with fruit, unsweetened yogurts, water, and nuts, it will be somewhat easier for the easiest option to finally resemble the healthiest option.