Meal Kits Help Make our Meals Healthier and More Sustainable
When it comes to dinner decisions, we are always overwhelmed with the choices we have when grocery shopping and end up buying too many things, or items in portions that are too large, and we end up with leftovers that don’t always get eaten. Luckily for us, we’ve discovered meal kits, and fully prepared meal solutions, which are perfect for both getting a healthier meal on the table and reducing food waste.
Meal delivery kits are perfect for us on the nights when we don’t want to go out, spend extra money on transit, or parking, and the inevitable drinks, tips and extras that pop up. We like the idea of having the recipe selection and grocery shopping conveniently done for us and delivered at a certain day and time when. We can decide ahead of time the meals that we want each week, from a wide, but not too wide, range of choices, and we often discover meals, ingredients, or ingredient combinations that we haven’t had before. Recent favourites have been Banh Mi Burgers, Shakusha Eggs for breakfast, and orecchiette pasta that we forgot how much we love.
Our two favourites to date are Upmeals, and Fresh Prep, the former being a completely prepared meal and the latter a meal kit that you assemble yourself. People have been reluctant to order meal kits because they feel the carbon footprint is higher, but, on average, meals bought at grocery stores produce 33% more greenhouse gas emissions than their equivalents from meal kits. Much of the reduced emissions stem from less food waste and a more streamlined supply chain. When we get meal delivery, we get ingredients in the exact amounts that we need, and we don’t end up throwing out food, as they’re portioned to feed us appropriately at each meal. For more on meal kits available in Canada check out mealkitscanada.ca reviews.
Fresh Prep has zero-waste kits, and returnable containers that the food comes in, so there is no plastic or any non-recyclable items to worry about. They also take back and recycle any of the soft plastics that are necessary for some of the ingredients that can’t be delivered in the reusable container. When you are ordering the nutritional values are listed on all the meals, so you can choose options that suit your dietary needs, there are vegetarian and vegan options as well. Fresh Prep works with local purveyors to bring you sustainable meat and seafood choices, and there are even add-on items from local bakers, chefs, and artisans.
Upmeals are ready to heat and serve and developed by a team of chefs and nutritionists working to give you what’s best when it’s best. They source seasonally and locally, use organic when possible, and reduce food waste in production since they can forecast what products they need to fulfill meals since they are ordered in advance. Their packaging is sustainable as the delivery boxes and food containers are recyclable, and their ice packs can be emptied safely down the sink.
For more about food kits in general and their carbon footprint, there’s a great article here, and if you want to try your hand at some home cooking instead, we’ve got some great recipe ideas here.
