Meal kit

[10] Although companies and the category have had rapid growth, they face a substantial challenge in retaining subscribers: many customers only use the services once, lured by offers of free meals, and few people continue past the 5-8 week mark: just 6% of customers surveyed by Morning Consult were still subscribed to most meal kit services after 3 months (although Blue Apron did much better than average at 12% 3-month retention).

The active ingredient in many gel packs is sodium polyacrylate, a non-toxic powder that can stay cold when saturated with water and frozen.

[16] Despite packaging concerns, meal kit dinners on average, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 30% running on delivery routes, compared to grocery store visits which require more energy and frequency as individuals transport there and back.

[18] When measuring the supply chain from start to finish, the life cycle environmental impact of grocery retailers is much higher than simplified transportation of meal delivery kits from supplier to home.

[20] Research conducted on people with overweight conditions found that meal kit delivery programs, in addition to health/nutrition education resulted in a significant positive intake of fruits and vegetables, though body composition and macronutrient had slightly to no change.

[22] Meal kits may improve food literacy skills, by introducing customers to nutritional guidelines and portion sizes with well balanced recipes.

[20] There is an estimated user market of 93 million people in the U.S. who have yet to try meal kits, but are still interested in experiencing it, opening potential doors to the industry for the long term.