Consumers continue to show an interest in eating foods they perceive to be healthier.

Healthy Vending MachineOne hotel chain is taking steps to make these kinds of menu items available on demand 24/7. In the lobby of the Chicago Marriott O’Hare guests now have access to Farmer’s Fridge, a healthy vending machine that features handcrafted salads, sandwiches and snacks made fresh everyday using local ingredients. The innovation was inspired by Anjana Kallarackal, a 21-year-old college student participating in the hotel giant’s Travel Brilliantly campaign. Farmer’s Fridge operates 12 such kiosks in the Chicago area. Marriott will test the one at its Chicago O’Hare location for five months. “I founded Farmer’s Fridge because I used to spend 75 percent of my time on the road for work and was personally frustrated by the lack of convenient, healthy food available,” said Luke Saunders, founder of Farmer’s Fridge.