Meal delivery kits are fast becoming the new on-trend convenience food. Delivering everything you need to prepare fresh, healthy meals, these kits are ticking all the boxes for trends in 2017 covering clean eating, reduced food waste, meal planning and convenient dining.
The new meal-in-a-box set up is delivering a reinvention of the dinner time ritual and appeals to busy working parents as well as food-savvy millennials. Tailored meal kits, designed to meet particular dietary preferences, can be delivered straight to your door containing everything you need to cook up a storm in the comfort of your own kitchen. Containing only what you need and no more, these kits could be the answer to reducing food waste which is often caused by supermarket multi-packs. Technomic Inc., a food industry analyst, predicts that in the United States alone, the meal kit market could grow by as much as $5 billion over the next decade. With over 150 different brands aiming to develop this new era of home delivery meets scratch cooking, could supermarkets be forced to respond with a convenient, cheaper alternative that omits the pricey delivery charge.
With foodies becoming more and more experimental with their eating habits, these kits are also providing a great opportunity for consumers to try more obscure ingredients but most importantly, it’s taking people out of their dinner time ruts. Instead of cooking the same dishes on rotation throughout the week, meal kits are breathing new life into midweek meals with easy, step-by-step guides to cook more exciting dishes with little room for error. The diversity of these pre-planned menus can also prevent the risk of mundane healthy eating, making this lifestyle choice more sustainable. Will more adventurous eaters drive menu evolution and supermarket offerings with demands for more exquisite dining options? Or will these easy to follow recipe kits impact the lure of the takeaway if consumers have everything they need delivered straight to their door?
If popularity continues for this new way of preparing food, the opportunities can only expand, creating new and exciting options for the consumer.