What’s the Deal with Meal Kits?

Just a few short years ago, meal kits made a big splash in the food industry, delighting busy consumers who still wanted to be able to cook at home. Although interest in meal kits began to fade, the pandemic pushed them back into the spotlight as more consumers began experimenting in the kitchen. Now as consumers start filling up their schedules again, there’s a huge opportunity for meal kit brands to rise to the occasion and offer consumers an elevated eating experience.

Cooking a fresh, healthy, and interesting meal every night can be a challenge for many consumers, and for some it can even be overwhelming. The rise of meal kits aids consumers in having the variety of meals and ingredients they desire while also regaining time they would otherwise lose. Better yet, they don’t have to sacrifice the experience of learning how to cook new recipes – something they came to value during the pandemic. In addition to regaining time, many meal kits offer health-conscious options while also being a more cost-effective option. Keep reading for our experts’ takes on how meal kits are continuing to shape the industry.

Saving Money, Reducing Waste

Faced with the rising cost of living, more consumers are opting to eat in as a means of saving money. Close to half of consumers look to price as the number one factor in purchasing prepared meals and meal kits. As consumers move beyond COVID-19 being the number one influence in purchasing decisions, they must now evaluate cost as markets across the globe are faced with a cost-of-living crisis. Meal kits are often a cheaper alternative to eating at restaurants, especially when factors like transportation costs and quality are taken into consideration. Not only that, but meal kits double as a form of entertainment and personal enrichment, as consumers are able to refine their cooking skills and feel accomplished when they’re finished.

When compared to cooking their own recipes at home, meal kits also offer an opportunity to reduce waste, thanks to their pre-measured ingredients. Sustainability has become a major focus for consumers in recent years, and they value finding ways to reduce their food waste. Meal kits, therefore, can position themselves as a way to cut down on the number of ingredients one needs to buy – and potentially throw away.

Fresh Options

In addition to the value offered by these meals, consumers view meal kits as an alternative to cooking from scratch. Due to the pandemic, consumers have had the opportunity to reevaluate their views on fresh and home cooked food. Consumers in the United States increasingly express interest in a variety of meal kits whether they are picked up at the grocery store or delivered to their homes. This growth is evident when looking to the popular meal kit company HelloFresh which achieved a revenue growth of over 60% in 2021.

Grocery store chains have recently teamed up with meal kit companies to offer efficient meal kit options to grab-and-go at the store. This allows these brands to emphasize freshness, which is something that some consumers have been concerned about when it comes to ordering meal kits directly from websites. With more than half of UK consumers expressing interest in purchasing freshly made foods from supermarkets according to Mintel, it is no surprise that these meals continue to meet a wide variety of consumer demands from meat eaters to vegans and flexitarians.

Prioritizing Plant-Based

Over the past few years plant-based diets have become increasingly mainstream across the globe. The advantage that plant-based consumers have in the meal kit market is that dishes that fit within their diets—vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, etc.—are typically a third cheaper than comparable meat-based alternatives. Across the globe there has been a steady increase the past few years within the prepared meals and meal kit categories of plant-based and vegan claims. These foods are bringing in a wide variety of consumers who seek out these claims, and this consumer base will only grow as individuals become more open to plant-based options.

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