If you've listened to pretty much any podcast lately, you've probably heard of at least a few meal kit delivery services. These services exploded in popularity over the last few years, in part thanks to the digital marketing used by industry leaders Blue Apron and HelloFresh.
It's no surprise that meal kit services appeal to young people — they simplify the shopping process for busy students and workers, teach skills and recipes to inexperienced chefs, and satisfy a growing cultural desire to eat healthily.
These programs echo the business models of Netflix and Amazon with their personalized nature and ease of access. Who wouldn't want the exact ingredients they need delivered to their doorstep?
More than 50 million people have tried a meal kit delivery service. If you're excited about the prospect of having fresh ingredients delivered to your door, you're not alone. However, many people are beginning to find that some meal kits aren't all they're cut out to be.
Though many meal kit companies claim to promote healthy eating and sustainable practices, that isn't always the case.
Before you break out your credit card, you should know what you're signing up for. Here are three things you should know about meal kit delivery services before you decide to sign up for one.
1. Most come with a lot of waste.
One common selling point for meal kits is the claim that they reduce food waste. This claim is true: Carefully measured portions help cooks cut down on household food waste, and some companies use policies to reduce waste in production facilities as well. However, meal kits simply cannot be called "waste free."
To keep ingredients fresh and separated, meal kit companies pack them generously in plastic — a lot of plastic. Because ingredients are typically packed in their own bags or containers, no matter how small they are, each meal comes with a heap of usually non-biodegradable waste that will need to be either recycled or thrown in the trash.
Though companies claim that much of their packaging can be recycled — and in the case of Blue Apron, returned to the company — doing so can be difficult.
Many recycling centers won't accept the low-density polyethylene plastic bags used for packaging because of their low recycling value. It's possible to find some centers that will accept this packaging, but it may require considerable effort, which doesn't seem realistic for a target market looking for convenience.
2. They really rack up the travel miles.
Part of what makes meal kits so great is how fresh the food is. It's not stuffed full of preservatives to last on grocery store shelves. However, this quality also means the fresh food has to be shipped to you often, at least once a week if you're a subscriber. Like all shipping, meal delivery requires hours of driving and fossil-fuel burning.
It's unclear whether meal kit delivery fares worse than buying from a grocery store in carbon emissions, but unless you live near a production center, travel distance could be significant.
Furthermore, meal kits require extra heavy packaging to remain fresh when they travel long distances. Many boxes are packed with wasteful ice packs to keep food cool during its journey.
Even if you're able to return the ice packs to the company, that's still going to require shipping, producing even more carbon emissions.
3. Delivery may be convenient, but delivery times may not be.
Possibly the biggest appeal of the meal kit is its ability to reduce the need for grocery shopping. Having food delivered can be a huge time saver, especially for busy individuals.
If you order a meal kit, you can set it for delivery any time, right? Well actually, not really. Many people allow food to sit outside in the insulated box for upwards of eight hours before they bring it inside and refrigerate it. Though most meal kits don't require a signature at delivery, they probably should.
Leaving food outside for extended periods of time increases the risk of foodborne illness, especially during warmer weather, when food surface temperatures easily surpass the 40 degrees scientists consider safe.
Bacteria growth skyrockets when temperatures reach 60 to 70 degrees, which could make consumption dangerous, especially for meat. This information means that you shouldn't schedule food delivery unless you can be there to take it inside, which kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
Though they're certainly convenient, meal kits may not be the best way to cook if you're hoping to save the environment and your own health.
Even for busy college students, meal planning and buying local produce could actually be a better option. Even so, making an effort to cook and eat healthy should be commendable. Hopefully, we'll see more sustainable, local meal delivery services offered in the future.
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