Rather than wasting food or staring at empty jars in the fridge, these services provide pre-portioned ingredients and easy recipes. Many meal delivery services also prioritize locally sourced ingredients to support local farmers.
They’re an ideal solution for new parents or anyone looking to level up their kitchen skills. NYC’s top meal delivery services offer diverse menu options and chef-prepared meals that fit your dietary needs, including vegan, high-protein, and gluten-free diets. To know more information, check out jax meal delivery!
How it works
Meal delivery services have become increasingly popular as a solution for those who are tired of takeout, fast food, or leftovers but lack the time and ambition to cook. These services send ingredients or fully cooked meals directly to the customer, usually on a weekly basis. Customers choose a recipe and receive a box with all the necessary ingredients along with an easy-to-follow instructions.
Many meal delivery services prioritize local sourcing, which is great for supporting the community and ensuring that your meal is fresh. Some services also offer a variety of dietary options, such as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free meals.
Many of these services also provide nutritional information for their recipes, so you can be sure that your meal is healthy and low in calories. They also have a flexible subscription model, which makes it easy to cancel or pause your delivery. To skip a delivery, simply log in to your account and select the week you’d like to remove from your schedule.
Pricing
Many meal delivery services offer a fixed price per serving or per meal, which can make them more cost-effective than purchasing groceries and cooking at home. However, you should always check the menu before making a purchase to ensure that it aligns with your food preferences and budget.
The best meal delivery services also take care to reduce waste and carbon footprint. They may use recyclable packaging or reusable containers and may add dry ice to keep foods cold. They may also offer flexible scheduling and allow you to pause or cancel deliveries at any time. Some meal delivery companies even focus on specific diets such as vegetarian and vegan meals.
Other meal delivery services, like CookUnity, prioritize locally sourced ingredients and have an emission-reducing supply chain. This makes their meals 31% lower in carbon footprint than those that would have been prepared from store-bought ingredients. This is a great option for people who want to reduce their grocery bill while supporting local businesses and farmers.
Nutritional information
While meal delivery companies offer convenience and time savings, it’s important to be mindful of calorie, sodium, sugar, saturated fat and carbohydrate content. Many of the best healthier meal delivery services we ranked for our 2019 Healthy Meal Delivery Service Review provide nutritional information for each recipe and may offer options for different diets.
In addition, a few meal delivery companies use environmentally friendly packaging and have emissions-reducing supply chains. Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab registered dietitian Stefani Sassos says she likes that more meal delivery services are offering healthy and convenient ways to get nutritious meals on the table.
Sassos also notes that most meal delivery services aren’t tailored for cooking just for one person, and that it’s a good idea to review the sodium content of each dish before selecting recipes if you have health issues such as high blood pressure or kidney disease. The CDC recommends less than 2,300 mg of sodium daily for adults.
Subscriptions
Meal delivery services typically operate on a subscription basis. Once you choose your plan, your food will be delivered to your home on a weekly schedule. Some companies allow you to skip, pause, or cancel your service anytime.
A meal delivery company will usually send a box to your house containing either prepared, packaged dishes or all the pre-portioned ingredients for a dish, along with a detailed recipe card. Many meal delivery companies focus on sustainability and sourcing their ingredients from suppliers who follow strict food safety practices.
Some meals are even locally sourced and support local business and farmers. Others, like CookUnity, boast a carbon footprint that is 31% lower than meals created with store-bought ingredients and use 100% renewable energy to power their facilities. They also prioritize the use of recyclable packaging. Many of these companies make it easy to make changes and updates to your account on the website or mobile app.
