The article explores the underlying value of meal kit services like HelloFresh and Blue Apron, emphasizing their role in logistics rather than simply food delivery. The author conducted an experiment, attempting to recreate meal kit recipes using grocery store ingredients for less money. This endeavor proved challenging, highlighting the complexities involved in meal kits, which often include carefully sourced and portioned ingredients. Ultimately, the experiment did not yield a significant cost savings, underscoring the unique convenience provided by meal kits despite their price points.
Despite all appearances, meal kit companies don't really sell food. What meal kits offer, instead, is logisticsâa complex process of sourcing and packaging ingredients.
I went to my local grocery store to see if I could make the meals for less. Reader, it wasn't easy. In fact, I mostly failed.
The standard knock, of course, is that meal kits are expensive: anywhere from $7 to $14 a portion, less than a restaurant meal but more than most food budgets.
Where quality was credibly equivalent to the meal kit, I bought the lowest-cost option. Portions were for two, not for a family.
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