Subscribe to These Healthy-Food Delivery Services
The meal-kit-delivery service industry is predicted to have a value of $11.6 billion in 2022. By 2023, online grocery shopping is expected to have increased by around 150 percent in the United States compared to five years earlier. Americans are subscribing to grocery and meal-kit delivery services in ever-increasing numbers. These services are often easy to use, offer a variety of options for dietary restrictions and eating preferences, and can even help consumers save money on their weekly grocery bills.
If you have yet to jump on the bandwagon, now might be the perfect time. As the busy fall season begins, having healthy foods and meals delivered to your door could save you time, money, and the hassle of planning what meals to make. Below are some of the most popular services available and the biggest benefits they offer consumers.
Groceries
Thrive Market
This virtual grocery store had over one million subscribers as of April 2022. Shoppers can search for products in over ninety different lifestyle and dietary preferences, including Whole30, paleo, nut-free, family-owned, and fair-trade certified. Membership costs as low as $5 per month and includes a free gift with your first order.
Highlights:
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- Carries exclusive products you won’t find in traditional grocery stores
- Offers a wide variety of frozen meat and seafood you can order in bulk
- The autoship option allows you to make a list of staple groceries, and you can set your delivery frequency
Misfits Market
Billions of pounds of food go to waste each year in the US. Misfits Market’s goal is to reduce food waste and make high-quality foods more accessible by partnering with farmers and retailers to prevent the unnecessary disposal of “misfit” foods—produce and other goods that are perfectly safe to consume but do not meet the aesthetic standards of grocery stores. Subscribers can get a box of organic produce and other foods delivered to their door every week for as little as $30, and deliveries can be skipped or paused at any time.
Highlights:
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- Free to join and no monthly or yearly membership fee
- Boxes are curated based on location and season to ensure produce freshness
- Subscribing helps reduce food waste and benefits local farmers
Hungryroot
If you’re looking for a hybrid meal-kit and grocery-delivery service, then Hungryroot is for you. The company’s mission is to help you fill your pantry and fridge with healthy staples so you can create nutritious meals based on your skill level, time, and preferences. Subscribers can complete a simple quiz to get grocery and recipe recommendations or make specific selections for the produce and meals they want to be delivered each week.
Highlights:
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- On average, customers save around $22 per week on groceries
- Do what you want with the produce and other foods you receive: follow the recipes included in your box, or make a meal all your own
- A gift is included in every order
Meal Kits
Freshly
Most meal-kit services provide the ingredients and instructions and expect you to do the prep work. Freshly is different. Its fully cooked and never-frozen meals are delivered to your door weekly, and plans are flexible—you can get four to twelve meals per week for as low as $8.99 per meal. Meal choices range from vegetarian dishes like Farmstead Baked Lentil Pasta to heartier options like Protein-Packed Chicken Parm and Steak Peppercorn.
Highlights:
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- Meals take three minutes or less to heat in the microwave
- Delivery can be paused or canceled at any time
- Packaging is eco-friendly and recyclable
Sunbasket
It can be challenging and expensive to cook healthy and filling dishes, but Sunbasket makes the process a bit easier by delivering premade meals and meal kits right to your door. This service offers creative recipes, such as Five-Spice Pork and Eggplant Stir-Fry with Cashew Plum Sauce and Niçoise Salad with Seared Tuna, that you won’t find with many other delivery services. The company is also committed to sustainability and strict ingredient standards, so you can feel good about the foods you receive.
Highlights:
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- Choose between meal kits or prepared meals to save time on cooking
- Menu options to fit a variety of lifestyles, such as vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, and carb-conscious
- Leftover food is donated to organizations that aid underserved communities across the country
Factor
Fitness and healthy eating go hand in hand, but it’s not always easy to make time for both. Factor is changing the game by providing fresh, chef-prepared meals with good nutrition and its subscribers’ health goals as the top priority. Meals average six hundred calories, and subscribers are offered a free twenty-minute consultation with a registered dietitian upon signing up.
Highlights:
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- Meals are precooked and can be warmed in minutes
- Recipes are created by dietitians with science and nutrition in mind
- Options range from four to eighteen meals per week