French oysters go on sale in a vending machine

A French oyster farmer and breeder from Ré Island in France recently introduced a refrigerated vending machine that dispenses live oysters. With this machine, he hopes to sell more oysters outside of business hours.

The automatic dispenser offers a range of quantities, types and sizes of oyster 24/7. Equipped with glass panels so customers can see what they are buying, the machine is quite similar to those that offer snacks and drinks in railway stations and office buildings worldwide.

Customers use their bank cards for access, opening the door of their choice from a range of carton sizes and oyster types. According to experts, provided the oysters are served alive, kept in a chilled state below 7 °C and rotated frequently (i.e. high turnover of inventory), there is essentially no harmful bacterial growth so the oyster should be as safe as it was coming out of the water.

Furthermore, shipping oysters and keeping them cold during transit is both costly and, for the moment, not very environmentally-friendly. This vending system could be a great solution for both producers and end consumers.

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