Learning Team Trends and Conditions Paper - Essay Example

These ailments account for almost 66% of the deaths that occur annually in the United States. The population of Washington D.C. during the day, according to statistics, is roughly one million persons. Such a huge population definitely needs to be fed as people go about their businesses. Most of the population in the city survives on unhealthy foods such as snacks, fast food and soft drinks in spite of their desire for healthy diets. The main factors that drive this trend are cost, convenience, and lack of better alternatives.

Better stated, many people believe fast foods are cheaper and easily accessible in the urban setting. In many cases, people who go for healthy foods in restaurants find it inconveniencing having to wait for the food to be prepared. It is in consideration of these factors that we see an opportunity in vending well prepared organic foods using vending machines in the populous city. The following sections of the paper will discuss the demand for healthy diets, the government’s stand on health foods, customer demands, and market access for products.

The Private Sector Market trends and conditions in the private sector reflect a growing demand by consumers for healthy food choices. Proper nutrition and healthy food choices are currently the top meal planning priorities for Baby Boomers (Forbes, 2013). Over 60% of adults in the United States are medically obese. The personal and business costs exceed $195 billion in the United States. Several of the primary concerns related to healthy food choices involve time and cost. For many consumers, health foods are difficult to purchase while traveling or at work.

Many consumers are forced to eat unhealthy processed foods out of necessity rather than by choice. Placing a vending machine containing healthy foods in the workplace, school, hospital, or public transportation environment can help to alleviate that issue. Many consumers also believe that healthy foods are more expensive than unhealthy foods, but that is incorrect. A recent study by the United States Department of Agriculture demonstrated that eating health foods is less expensive than eating unhealthy foods (Carlson & Frazao, 2012).

Market trends for new businesses indicate a growing focus on healthy food choices. One recent example includes the iPhone app-based business called the Eatery, which allows consumers to rate food and analyze personal eating habits to understand better their individual strengths, weaknesses, and areas in the diet ripe for improvement. Within six months of release, consumers from 50 countries had contributed over 7.68 million food ratings, demonstrating a significant trend in consumer demand for healthy foods (Forbes, 2013).

The Government Sector There are tax and government advantages for operating a green vending business in the United States. First Lady Michelle Obama has worked tirelessly to fight childhood obesity in recent years. It has been her goal to create access to healthier food options in areas where 40% of the residents have low incomes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, 2010). The