After spending the past year or so staying at home, more Americans have been using meal delivery services than ever before. The meal-kit industry is now worth around 5 billion dollars.
There are lots of reasons to choose a meal delivery company over traditional grocery shopping.
Besides convenience, meal delivery can also provide you with variety, new recipe ideas, meals tailored to your health concerns, and much more.
But with more meal delivery services on the market than ever, how do you choose the best one?
Keep reading to find out.
Why Use a Meal Delivery Company?
If you’re always busy working or taking care of children, you might not have time to constantly come up with new recipes. Maybe you just don’t like cooking all that much and like to prioritize other hobbies.
Either way, you may be getting tired of always making the same thing for dinner.
One of the biggest advantages of meal delivery is variety. Most companies rotate their ingredients and recipes, so you always have new options for meals.
Meal delivery can also help you navigate tricky dietary restrictions. When your sources of nutrients are limited, it’s important to make sure your body is still getting everything it needs.
Some delivery services, like Yo Fresh Food, even have nutritionists on staff who can work with you one-on-one. Many services also offer plans for vegetarians, vegans, and other common dietary lifestyles.
Meal delivery services can also provide you with easier access to organic foods, and help lower your carbon footprint by giving you reusable containers. The environment wins too!
Compare Costs
When choosing a meal delivery service, it’s important to find one that fits your budget. The best way to do that is to consider the cost per meal of each service.
Most companies charge between $4.99 and $9.99 per meal. Using a meal delivery service might initially seem like a luxury, but it’s more cost-efficient than you might think.
Between 2019 and 2020, the average price of groceries inflated 75% more than usual. The cost of meat rose the most, with the price of beef increasing by 9.6%, and the price of poultry increasing by 5.6%.
With a meal delivery service, you’ll pay a fixed price per meal, which protects you against market fluctuations.
There are a few things to consider besides the price per meal. Comparing delivery fees is a good way to protect yourself against hidden costs.
You might also want to check out local meal services in your area that have a pickup option. Perhaps you can skip the delivery fees altogether!
If your budget tends to fluctuate, you should consider a service with flexible subscriptions. Some companies require a long-term commitment, while others allow you to use their services on a week-to-week basis.
Read Reviews
When you visit a new restaurant, you probably read reviews first to make sure other people like it. Why not do the same for the food you eat at home?
Checking out online customer reviews is a great way to make sure you have the best possible meal delivery experience. You’ll want to make sure that your service is reliable, delivers what they advertise, and tastes good!
From customer reviews, you may also find delivery services you’ve never heard of, or features you didn’t know your chosen service offered.
If you eat a specialized diet like Keto, or you’re vegan or vegetarian, customer reviews can be especially helpful to you.
There are already lots of online forums dedicated to these diets, so feel free to ask one of them for meal delivery service recommendations too!
Look For Nutrition Facts
Health is one of the biggest reasons many Americans choose to use a meal delivery service. They can help you stop relying on highly processed snack foods and instant meals.
Not every meal delivery service is focused on nutrition, however. If preparing healthy meals is one of your goals, you should look for a service that offers transparent nutrition facts.
Nutrition is important for everyone, even young and healthy people. At least 66% of the world’s heart disease-related deaths can be linked to dietary habits.
The sooner you start keeping an eye on your eating habits, the better you’ll feel as you age.
Unfortunately, healthy food still has a reputation for being boring or tasting bad. By choosing a meal delivery service with easily accessible nutrition facts, you’re killing two birds with one stone.
Not only can you look out for your future health, you can do so while eating varied and enjoyable meals.
If your meal delivery service offers consultations with a nutritionist, that’s even better!
Consider Business Practices
When you patronize any company, it’s a good idea to make sure you approve of the way they conduct their business. Doing a little extra research on your meal delivery service will keep your stomach and conscience clean.
Your research may depend on which issues are most important to you.
You might want to find out where their ingredients come from, how they pay their workers, how big their carbon footprint is, or what kinds of charitable donations they make.
Trying a smaller, locally-based delivery service is a great way to make sure you can feel good about the company you’re supporting.
This way, you’ll know your money is directly stimulating your state’s economy; and supporting local food providers and service workers. Plus, it’ll cut down on the environmental impact of your deliveries.
Step Up Your Meals Today
You now have all the information you need to go out and search for a meal delivery company that suits your needs. Say goodbye to repetitive meals and ordering out.
If you’re hungry for even more ways to improve your eating habits, try checking out the Recipes section on our website.
You might be surprised by how much happier you’ll feel when you enjoy every meal. Start that journey today!
