Vending machine food options typically consist of chips, crackers, sodas, or candy. A modern, health-oriented version coming to Lexington later this year is designed to bring on-demand healthy, locally sourced, and culturally relevant prepared entrees to customers.
Anora Morton
The Nori Project is the brainchild of Louisville-based CEO Anora Morton. Morton grew up in Louisville’s Shawnee neighborhood, which she characterizes as a food desert, meaning there’s little access to fresh, healthy produce without traveling to other areas. She got the idea for the healthy vending machines in October 2022 and incorporated her new business the following January to bring healthier options to underserved areas.
Each “Nori machine” holds a rotating menu of fully cooked entrees made from whole foods. Customers simply select their meal, pay by a credit, debit, or EBT card, and the machine dispenses a fresh, refrigerated tray.
By year’s end, Nori’s first outdoor unit and its first in Lexington will be installed on West Sixth Street outside FoodChain. There, meals will be prepared and stocked by FoodChain staff using ingredients sourced from their network of more than 50 Kentucky farmers. “We want people to go to a Nori machine that maybe aren’t the healthiest eaters but maybe recognize something familiar that they’re willing to try to get on the healthy eating path,” Morton said.
Already, two indoor machines are operating in Louisville — at the Shawnee Library and at Story Louisville in the NuLu neighborhood. Meals from the machine at Shawnee Library are subsidized and cost about $4. At the Story location, which is not subsidized, the same meal may be priced around $10. “These are all chef-crafted, healthy meals made with whole foods,” Morton said. “It’s all very intentional.”
Menu items often rotate. In July, for example, Louisville’s menu featured a healthy spin on soul food. Future offerings, including a Tex-Mex bowl, are in development, along with dishes inspired by Morton’s travels in Japan. Morton aims to keep prices below $12 per meal in high-traffic zones and extend placement locations beyond food deserts and into high-traffic areas like downtowns, parks, and near bus stops.
FoodChain’s co-executive director Kristin Hughes explained how the partnership came about. “FoodChain first learned about the Nori Project when [Morton] began developing it,” she said. “Through a connection with Feed Louisville, we were introduced to Dr. Morton and collaborated to identify the right fit for a machine in Lexington. Together, we determined that an outdoor, 24/7-accessible machine capable of holding prepared meals would best meet our community’s needs.”
Hughes noted that food deserts aren’t just about a lack of grocery stores but reflect systemic inequities, including disinvestment, transportation barriers, and limited economic mobility. “We’ve seen firsthand how this lack of access affects the health, dignity, and food autonomy of our neighbors,” she said.
USDA data show more than 25,000 Fayette County residents live in low-income, low-access areas, making reliable healthy options scarce. With FoodChain hosting Nori’s first outdoor machine, sales data and customer trends will guide future placements. Morton hopes to expand further into urban neighborhoods in Lexington and Louisville, then into rural food-insecure regions like Appalachia and larger cities like Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
FoodChain’s mission is to make fresh, nutritious food accessible to everyone. Youth waiting at the bus stop outside can eventually use the machine to grab a healthy breakfast, and their feedback will shape future menus. Hughes envisions additional machines stocked by other local food businesses. “We don’t believe food deserts should exist in a city like Lexington, and we’re committed to eliminating them through year-round, reliable, and inclusive food access strategies that center on Kentucky farmers and the voices of the communities we serve,” she said.
For volunteer opportunities and to learn more about FoodChain and its mission, visit www.foodchainlex.org.