Buried in a NY Times Magazine essay on the Mars’ company investment in chocolate-as-health-food research is this interesting tidbit: “Mars is a huge player in the vending business. Not only is it among the leading providers of electronic components in vending machines, but it is also the top company in vending-machine candy sales. (Mars is second only to Frito-Lay in overall snack-food sales at those machines.)” Who knew that all those M&Ms; packets sit on electronic components from the same parent company? A web search turns up MEI, “one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic bill acceptors, coin mechanisms and other electronic payment systems.” According to their About page, Mars engineers developed the first electronic coin mechanism in the 1960s. (Read The Emperors of Chocolate for the corporate view of those yummy treats.)