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Meal Delivery

Meal Delivery

With so many meal subscription services out there it’s hard to know what is best suited to your needs. If you like cooking food boxes might be the best for you where if you’re time-poor then a ready to eat solution would be ideal. Browse and compare meal subscriptions below or take our quiz to get a customised list of suitable meal subscription services based on your goals.

By
Alex Hamlin

Written by

Alex Hamlin
Certified Nutritionist

Alex Joy Nutrition supports busy individuals with health goals, offering holistic nutrition guidance to reduce stress and foster balanced, healthy habits. Specialising in empowering high achievers, Alex emphasises a preventative and management-focused approach to health. As a clinical nutritionist, Alex provides individuals with tools and education for taking control of their health. She advocates for optimal nutrition as the cornerstone of wellness, employing a food-first approach complemented by holistic treatments. With evidence-based practices, Alex offers personalised guidance to help individuals reach their health goals, prioritising health at the forefront. In health content creation, Alex delivers concise, informative, and engaging material rooted in evidence-based practices, educating, inspiring and guiding others on their wellness journey.

Updated March 20, 2023
Fact checked Fully qualified and expert nutritionists have reviewed and checked this content to ensure it is as accurate as possible at the time of writing.

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What is a meal delivery service?

A meal delivery service sends customers ready-to-eat meals or fresh and frozen pre-portioned ingredients with easy to follow recipes delivered to their location of choice. A meal delivery service is personalised to suit individual tastes, dietary preferences and health goals. 

Meals may come cooked and ready to heat/ eat or ingredients are pre-portioned and labelled in order to quickly cook and assemble a meal. Recipes are foolproof – simple, clear and easy to follow. 

Most meal delivery services operate via a subscription-based model yet some can be ordered individually. Each food box or ready-made meal from a meal delivery service usually combines the efforts of chefs, nutritionists and grocery shoppers to deliver creative menus suitable to a range of dietary preferences to make healthy eating easy. 

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Types of meal subscriptions

Meal Kits

A meal kit delivery provides the customer with pre-portioned ingredients in exact quantities, labelled, to assemble a meal following a step-by-step recipe. Generally, meals can be prepared quickly and easily. 

Ready to Eat

A ready-made meal delivery provides the customer with ready-to-eat/heat, fresh or frozen meals chosen by the individual. This type of meal subscription is essential a grab and go meal ready for immediate consumption. 

How to compare meal kits & subscriptions

There are a number of factors that can be compared between each meal kit subscription from the subscription plan and price to the taste.

The main comparison of meal kit subscriptions comes down to:

  • Price per week/meal
  • Sustainability and environmental efforts of the provider
  • Fresh or frozen, quality and taste of ingredients and meals
  • Meal size and customisation e.g. dietary requirements and variety

Start by taking the meal kit quiz you can compare meal subscriptions to see which meal provider best suits your personal needs.

comparing meal kits

Are all meal kits healthy?

Meal kits/delivery services have been analysed for their nutritional quality and they were found to provide adequate serves of core macronutrients however there is always room to improve to meet Australian dietary guidelines. 

A study in 2019 by the Univerity of Sydney analysed a random selection of 12 different meals from a number of meal subscription services. The nutritional composition of each meal was obtained and the conclusion was made that meal kits were shown to be a good source of vegetables yet they may be too high in fat and salt and could do with more fibre.

Meal kits are a good substitute for takeaway and convenience foods and even some home-cooked meals and often have health-promoting qualities. Keep in mind each provider offers recipes that are health conscious and also indulgent. There are a wide variety of recipes considering a number of different dietary requirements and each provider varies. Overall they provide a quick, easy and convenient solution to fuss-free healthy eating. 

Pros and Cons of meal subscription services

Pros

  • Convenient and simple solutions - Meal delivery kits are convenient, simple and flexible, allowing individuals access to healthy, fuss-free meals to support their lifestyle. 
  • Minimal food waste and easy preparation - Labeled pre-portioned ingredients in exact quantities means little to no food waste as well as quick and easy food preparation.
  • Recipe cards with easy to follow steps - Step-by-step recipe cards are included in meal delivery kits for foolproof meal preparation and execution.
  • Local ingredients & lot’s of options - Meal delivery providers aim to source ingredients that are fresh and local and endeavour to provide a variety of options for all taste and preferences.
  • Time saver - A meal delivery provider means less shopping and less preparation when it comes to creating healthy meals at home.
  • Learn new recipes, techniques and feel inspired - Meal delivery services provide easy to follow cooking instructions with each meal. This gives you the opportunity to cook new recipes, learn new cooking techniques and feel creative and inspired in the kitchen.
  • Meals are more nutritious than take-away and convenience foods - Meal delivery services often combine the efforts and expertise of chefs and nutritionists/dietitians to create healthy nutritious meals aiming to adhere to Australian dietary guidelines. You’ll find they are more nutritious than take-away meals and store bought convenience foods.
  • Portion control - Depending on your personalised health goals, meals may help individuals with portion control and overeating as meal delivery services provide the right amount of ingredients to meet your chosen number of meals per week.
  • Save money by eating at home more often - Meal delivery services are a great way to save money on eating out and convenience foods by holding you accountable to cooking and eating at home more often.

Cons

  • Lots of packaging - As each ingredient is pre portioned and individually wrapped this means an excess amount of packaging and differs between provider.
  • Can be expensive depending on the service - Of course, price will vary depending on how many mouths you’re feeding (e.g. single or a family). Prices vary depending on the chosen provider and number of meals ordered each week.
  • May not meet dietary preference - Meal delivery services aim to cover as many dietary preferences as possible yet some may not cover every preference. Check closely with the meal delivery provider to see if your preference has been met.
  • Some providers may lack the desired amount of vegetables per serve - Meal kits are shown to be a source of vegetables and may include more than home cooking and take-away/convenience foods. Yet it is evident from studies that there is room for improvement and the average meal could do with more fibre.
  • Meal sizes and satisfaction - Most meal delivery services make the same size meal for all and as we know no individual is the same when it comes to health. Portions may not leave you feeling satisfied and satiated, yet this will depend on a number of factors from your personal needs, the meal provider and proposed portions.
  • Ingredients are perishable - When ordering from a meal delivery service you need the space to store your meals as ingredients are perishable.
  • You will still spend time cooking - Of course meal delivery services aim to help you save time when it comes to preparation and cooking and this rings true with ready-made meals. It’s important to remember if you are choosing meal kit’s you will spend approx 30+mins cooking the meals.

Key factors to consider when comparing meal services

When choosing the right option for you, consider the following factors:

Meal Customisation

Meal delivery services cater to different dietary requirements and preferences. Some are specifically designed in alignment with certain diets e.g. vegan or paleo and some cater to support health conditions e.g. diabetes. If you have allergies or intolerances there are often gluten free or lactose free options. To determine if a meal provider caters to a specific dietary requirement its best to check with the service directly.

Quality & Taste

Food quality, freshness and taste is a key factor when choosing the appropriate provider. Some providers choose to keep meals fresh, not frozen and vice versa. The best way to find out is to access user reviews and of course try it yourself. Most providers promise chef created, delicious meals yet this differs between providers. Start by taking the meal kit quiz to compare providers. 

Cost & Conditions

The price per week/meal varies greatly between each meal delivery service. It’s important to compare the weekly cost of your chosen meal delivery with your average supermarket shopping costs per week. Always check the terms and conditions of the meal provider as subscriptions, lock-in’s and minimum spend amounts etc. may differ between each provider. Check the FAQs on the providers page or reach out to their customer service team.

Sustainability

Many Australian providers focus on local produce, aim to reduce food waste and look for ways to minimise packaging or make products more sustainable. A recent study found that meal kits have a lower overall carbon footprint than the same meals purchased in a grocery store, despite what feels like more packaging when receiving a meal kit. It was found that pre-portioned ingredients and a streamlined supply chain lower the overall food loss/waste for meal kits. Check directly with providers to understand their efforts to be more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Meal Subscription FAQs

A food box is a subscription-based food service where a company delivers pre-portioned and partially prepared ingredients with recipes or ready-to-eat meals to the consumer to prepare and eat meals at home aka a meal kit. They are a fuss-free option for meal planning and preparation and can be personalised to suit individual tastes and dietary preferences e.g. vegan or vegetarian. 

Food box delivery services cater to everyone and anyone and help to save time, reduce food waste and take the guesswork out of cooking and healthy eating.

This depends on your budget and personal dietary requirements. 

To find out which meal subscription is right for you, take the meal kit quiz to compare meal subscriptions.

Most meal delivery services are auto-renewing subscriptions, recurring weekly and require the customer to sign-on to an ongoing subscription. However, subscriptions are not ‘locked in’ and you can choose to cancel at any time with no additional fees. Of course, this varies between providers so it’s best to check with them individually before signing up.

No worries at all. Meal kits can actually improve your cooking skills and expose you to different ingredients, recipes, techniques and cuisines. How? Meal kits: 

  • Help to make cooking fun and exciting
  • Help you understand portion size and quantity 
  • Introduce you to new cooking techniques and skills
  • Try ingredients you wouldn’t normally buy 
  • Feel confident with easy-to-follow recipes

Not all meal delivery services are healthy however this varies from each meal provider. There may be a number of healthy options available on the menu yet it is important to look at the ingredients, macros and meal sizes as they vary. 

Search and compare wellness and health delivery services in Australia including meal kits, ready to eat meal delivery, vitamin subscriptions and much more at Wellhub. All content and information on this site is provided by qualified Australian nutritionists to ensure accurate representation of all products reviewed. Learn more about our expert team here.