Going Green: The Benefits of Sustainable Meal Kit Services
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As people become more aware of the environmental impact of their food choices, eco-friendly meal delivery services are becoming increasingly popular. These services provide a variety of ecological benefits, such as sustainable sourcing of ingredients and reducing food waste through portion control. They also offer convenience and health benefits that make them an attractive option for those looking to make healthier, more sustainable mealtime decisions. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of using meal kit delivery services to help you decide if they’re right for you.
Eco-friendly meal kit delivery services are becoming increasingly popular as people become more mindful of the environmental impact of their food choices. These services provide a convenient way to enjoy delicious, healthy meals while also minimizing waste and supporting sustainable sourcing of ingredients.
These meal kit delivery services offer an array of ecological benefits, such as reducing food waste through portion control. Additionally, they often source ingredients from local farms or organic suppliers that use sustainable methods of production. This means you can be sure that the food you order is not only delicious but also ethically sourced and eco-friendly.
Using meal delivery services also eliminates the need for grocery shopping trips, which helps to reduce emissions caused by driving. This makes it an ideal option for those looking to lessen their carbon footprint and lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Additionally, many of these services offer meal plans that can be tailored to specific dietary preferences or nutritional needs, which can help make eating healthier easier.
However, there are some drawbacks to using meal delivery services. For instance, they can be pricier than buying food from the store, and some of them require you to sign up for a subscription plan. Additionally, if you like to cook your meals or want more flexibility in what you eat, these services might not be right for you.
All in all, eco-friendly meal delivery services offer numerous advantages that make them an attractive option for those looking to make healthier, more sustainable mealtime decisions. By helping to reduce food waste and supporting sustainable sourcing of ingredients, these services are a great way to enjoy delicious meals while minimizing your environmental impact. So if you’re looking for a convenient and eco-friendly way to eat well, look no further than a meal delivery service.
Ecological Benefits
Ecological meal delivery services provide several ecological benefits that make them an attractive option for those looking to make more sustainable food choices. One of the primary ways they provide ecological benefits is through sustainable sourcing of ingredients. Many services partner with local suppliers or organic farms to ensure that their ingredients are sourced from ethical and eco-friendly practices. This helps to minimize the impact of conventional farming practices on the environment.
Additionally, meal delivery services help to reduce food waste by providing pre-portioned meals with exact measurements for each ingredient. This eliminates excess packaging and reduces the need for food storage, which can help cut down on food waste significantly. Finally, many of these services also offer a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free meals to accommodate a range of dietary preferences.
Sustainable Sourcing of Ingredients
Sustainable sourcing of ingredients is one of the primary ways eco-friendly meal delivery services provide ecological benefits. These services partner with local suppliers or organic farms to ensure that their ingredients are sourced from ethical and eco-friendly practices. This helps to minimize the impact of conventional farming practices on the environment, while also supporting local businesses and farmers. Moreover, sustainable sourcing of ingredients can help to reduce water and energy consumption, as well as food waste.
- Choose From 35+ Recipes Weekly + No Prep, No Clean Up Options
- A wide variety of options including oven ready, low carb & gluten free
- All-in-one meal kits ready in minutes; as low as $4.99/serving!
- No commitment, skip or cancel at anytime
- Healthy Cooking Made Easy
- Organic produce, clean ingredients, and delicious recipes delivered weekly
- Paleo, lean & clean, gluten-free, vegan, and more
Choose The Best Meal Delivery Services
Blue Apron is another great option for meal kit delivery services. Because of its numerous weekly options, diverse diet plans, and budget friendly prices, consumers can’t go wrong with Blue Apron. Blue Apron does offer a vegetarian meal plan, but not a plan specifically for vegans.
Also, Blue Apron recently partnered with Beyond Meat, so they will soon be offering meals that incorporate this increasingly popular meat-substitute to their meals.
Is Blue Apron Vegan Friendly?
Even though they do not have a specific option for a vegan meal plan, Blue Apron is vegan friendly. Blue Apron offers a vegetarian meal plan that feeds two people, so it’s perfect for couples who choose vegan diets or an individual who wants leftovers.
You can opt to not receive certain ingredients and forgo other ingredients if they don’t fit into your diet or preferences. So even though Blue Apron offers only a vegetarian option, you can still customize it to vegan preferences.
With Blue Apron, you can get cooking some fantastic meals that will divert from your daily routine (in a good way). Some examples of Blue Apron meal options include:
- Baked Tofu with Creamy Tomato Curry
- Mushroom Mazeman With Bok Choy
- Butternut Squash Enchiladas with a Honey Chipotle Sauce
- Curried Cauliflower with Brown Rice and Cilantro-Yoghurt Sauce
If any of the above meals have non-vegan ingredients, you can substitute with vegan friendly options such as maple syrup in place of honey or coconut yogurt in place of milk-based yogurt.
PROs
- 23 Weekly Recipes including Carb-conscious, Vegetarian and more
- Meal Prep option - Cook once for 8 servings!
- No commitment needed - skip or cancel anytime
CONs
- Subscribing to this service can be costlier than grocery shopping
- This service is not ideal if you have food intolerances or allergies
Home Chef is one of the most competitive services in the meal delivery department. In fact, they delivered more than 10 million meals in the last year, so that has to say something about their service. Home Chef offers a variety of meal plan options that can be delivered right to your door.
They offer several meal plans including vegetarian, low-calorie, and standard options. Many meals come pre-prepared so that your meal preparation and clean up take little to no time at all.
Does Home Chef Offer Vegan Meals?
Home Chef does not have a specific vegan meal plan, but it does allow for customization. When you first begin the ordering process, you immediately enter your dietary preferences and choose to remove certain ingredients, such as red meat, shellfish, dairy, pork, mushrooms, and nuts. From there, you’re taken through the check out and meal selection pages.
Along with selecting your dietary preferences, you can choose to customize each meal by removing all meat or substituting Impossible Burger. So, Home Chef does have rather decent vegan options.
However, because some of Home Chef’s meals are pre-prepared, there isn’t much room for making vegan substitutions. That being said, you’ll have to be careful when choosing and customizing your meals if you get your meal kit from Home Chef.
Some meal options with Home Chef include:
- Gnocchi with Red Pepper Cream
- Black Bean and Corn Burger with Chipotle Aioli
- Waldorf Salad with Apples and Dried Cranberries
- Teriyaki Impossible Burger with Peanuts and Cilantro
PROs
- Dozens of Weekly Options Including Oven Ready
- No Contact Delivery To Your Door
- Up to 30 Weekly Meals + No Prep, No Clean Up Options
- No Commitment, Skip or Cancel at Anytime
CONs
- Not ideal for people with dietary restrictions
- Food is not 100% organic
Reducing Food Waste Through Portion Control
Reducing food waste through portion control is an important benefit of eco-friendly meal delivery services. These services provide pre-portioned meals with exact measurements for each ingredient, eliminating the need to buy larger quantities of ingredients that may end up going to waste. This helps to keep food costs down and optimize space in refrigerators and pantries. Additionally, it helps to reduce packaging waste, as the measurements for each ingredient eliminate excess.
In conclusion, eco-friendly meal delivery services provide a variety of ecological benefits that make them an attractive option for those looking to make healthier and more sustainable food choices. These services offer convenience and health benefits while also reducing food waste through portion control and supporting sustainable sourcing of ingredients. While there are some drawbacks such as higher costs or the need for subscription plans, these can be easily offset by their numerous advantages when it comes to making healthy and environmentally conscious decisions about our meals. So if you’re looking for a convenient way to eat well without sacrificing sustainability, look no further than your friendly neighborhood meal kit delivery service!