Things To Consider

Fall is here, kids are back to school and many workplaces are requiring employees to be in the office. This lack of time in many people’s schedules makes meal planning a lot more challenging, especially for families with kids.

Meal delivery services can save you time. If you’re contemplating utilizing a meal delivery or meal kit service, there are things to consider. Over the last decade, meal delivery services have oversaturated the market and it can be overwhelming to figure out what’s right for you.

Meal Delivery Categories

Knowing the different types of meal services will help you decide what’s right for you!

The first step to determine if a meal service is right for you is to become knowledgeable about the categories of services currently on the market. Each year, new meal services enter the market, which can be overwhelming, but most fall into one of two categories.

The most popular offering is “meal kits” which provide the consumer a kit that includes a recipe and most of the pre-portioned ingredients. This eliminates the need to plan or grocery shop for these meals. Although these kits save a consumer time, they still require time and effort to prep and cook the meals; most take 30-40 minutes to prepare. Recently, some companies such as Home Chef (https://www.homechef.com/) and Blue Apron (https://www.blueapron.com/) have added the option for a 15-minute meal which can save you even more time.

The other option is “prepared meals” which provide the consumer cooked meals that are completely assembled and ready to heat and eat. There are several local businesses that offer this type of service, including The Blossoming Kitchen (https://theblossomingkitchen.com/) an all-women team that makes a variety of meals that can be delivered or picked up. Clean Eatz (https://cleaneatz.com/), a franchise, has 5 different locations across the Charlotte area. And, 212 Meal Prep (https://212meals.com/) offers a variety of prepared meals that can be picked up from several locations.

There are many other services nationally that offer prepared meals, such as Freshly (https://www.freshly.com/)and Sakara (https://www.sakara.com/). Daily Harvest https://mealfan.com/ and Magic Kitchen (https://www.magickitchen.com/) have a similar service, but ship their meals frozen which extends the shelf-life.

Food Preferences

Many of these services allow the consumer to select food preferences which is great for those who have allergies or intolerances, or want to select a certain type of diet, such as paleo, keto or plant-based. And, there are some companies that only offer plant-based meals, such as Purple Carrot (https://www.purplecarrot.com/) and Sakara.

Are Meal Services Right for Your Family?

So, how can you decide if a service is right for you? The determining factors are likely “time” and “money”. If you’re often struggling to find time to cook dinner, then a meal service may be a great option for you and your family, as long as you can afford it.

First, you’ll need to do the math to determine the cost. Companies such as Blue Apron are transparent about their pricing, so you know exactly what it costs per meal. Currently it costs $7.99 per meal plus $9.99 for shipping if you purchase 4 different meals that feed 4 people. That means it costs $137.83 weekly or $8.59 a person per meal. However, it’s more expensive for 2 people purchasing 2 meals a week. The current price for 2 people is $11.99 per meal plus $9.99 for shipping which is $57.95 per week. This breaks down to $14.49 a person per meal.

Another consideration is that most of these services have a subscription model. This means that when you enroll, you agree to a subscription. If you want to refrain from meals, you must “opt out” for specific weeks or cancel your account. If you’re a planner and know a couple of weeks in advance what your meal needs will be, then this may work for you. If you’re not, then you may end up spending more time and money than you’d like on a meal service.

The good news is that many of these services have an introductory offer with deep discounts which is an economical way to trial them. With so many options, you could try a different service every month taking advantage of discounts and free meals. Just don’t forget to manage each account and keep track. Otherwise, you could find yourself with a lot of meals on your doorstep (and a big expense on your credit card).

By Dee Iraca, RDN, LDN, Professionally Trained Chef

Dee Iraca
Dee Iraca is a licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, a professionally trained Chef and the founder of Eat Well Chef. Her specialty is cooking classes, but she also does private chef work, catering and wellness retreats. Her mission is to help people live their best and healthiest lives by way of nutrition and food. In her spare time, she loves to travel, exercise and eat delicious food! To see her upcoming classes or learn more about Dee, visit her website at www.eatwellchef.com

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