The wondrous world of food delivery boxes — is it really worth it?

The pros and cons of having ingredients delivered straight to your door

So you’re tired of going to the supermarket. Or maybe you’re bored of cooking the same chicken and broccoli every other night.

Well that was me too. But after countless ads for various services and running out of ideas for what to cook one too many times, I decided to subscribe to a food delivery box service (and then another one because discount codes are your best friend).

What is a food box delivery service?

When you type in ‘food box delivery service’ into the search bar you’re almost spoilt for choice; Abel &Cole, Green Chef, Hello Fresh, Gousto, Mindful Chef, the list goes on and on.

Ultimately, although each are slightly different the aim of the service is to provide you meals — or at least the ingredients for meals — in a convenient manner. There are brands and services for almost everyone; special diets like keto or vegan, meal prep, pasta enthusiasts, one-off boxes for dinner parties — with a little digging you can find something for your needs.

You choose what you would like to cook/eat ahead of time, order it online or on an app, and the ingredients are delivered straight to your door. The food comes in specific quantities with clear and simple recipes to put together your meals — or you can choose a meal plan subscription so you don’t even have to cook.

But chances are you already know that, you just want to know is it worth it?

The Pros

• Reduces food waste: If you’re like me, cooking in small batches (aka for 1 or 2 people) is not your forte. But having just the necessary amount of ingredients means that there is less food waste at the end of the day. You make just enough food for you to eat and don’t have an extra bag of salad that you’re not going to get to, or a whole bottle of that sauce that you’re probably not going to use for another few months.
• Get to try new things: I’ve used the service as an opportunity to cook meals that I otherwise wouldn’t try. Maybe you want to eat more vegetarian meals but need some help on recipe ideas, or want to be more adventurous at dinner without the pressure of researching different cuisines. Having a service like this gives you the opportunity to do so and at the end of the day, even if you don’t continue the service you get to keep the recipe cards.
• Flexibility: If you’re not going to be home or just don’t feel like having the service one week (or two or three) you can skip it. No questions asked and you won’t be charged.

The Cons

• Lack of flexibility: I know, I know — I just said that flexibility was a pro and now I’m saying it’s a con. Well you can choose to skip any week and as many weeks as you want, however you need to do so by a certain day. Let’s say your deliveries comes on Wednesday, then you need to pick your meals or skip that upcoming week by the end of the Friday before. If your plans change on Monday and you’re not going to be home on Wednesday anymore, well there isn’t a way to skip for that week or change what you’ve ordered. Depending on the service you may be able to add delivery notes to have your box delivered to a neighbor or a secure location, but it’s something to consider and double check beforehand in case the situation ever arises.
• Cost: This one is subjective depending on your usual grocery budget, how many people you’re cooking for, and whether the convenience of the service is worth the price for you. There are a wide array of brands to choose from and so you can always do some shopping around for the service that works best for your budget, but if you’re looking to save then chances are this isn’t how you’re going to save some extra cash.
• Packaging waste: Between shipping the boxes weekly and the individual packaging of some of the ingredients, the service certainly has a carbon footprint. Ingredients like vegetables are often loose in the box, however meats, fish and any spices, seasonings or sauces are individually packaged — which can add up to a lot of waste at the end of the week. Many companies are aware of this and doing what they can to reduce the cost on the environment. Some companies like HelloFresh offset their direct carbon emissions in order to be carbon neutral; other brands like Green Chef use recyclable packaging that you can reuse or recycle.

Final thoughts

If you want to try something you really don’t have much to lose. Using a service like this can be really convenient and cuts having to plan dinners, make a shopping list, and go to the supermarket out of the equation. There are plenty of services which offer introductory discounts so you get 50% off your first box or discounts on your first few meals, which can give you the option to try before you buy (full price).

If you’re someone who enjoys planning recipes and sourcing your ingredients, then this may not be a service that you would thoroughly appreciate. It cuts out about half of the entire cooking process — aka deciding what you will cook and getting the ingredients (what I consider the hard part) — and instead guides you on how to put it all together. But for those of us who are less into recipe development but still enjoy the other half of the cooking process, the this might be for you.

Is this a service I see myself using for the rest of my life?

Probably not. But it comes in handy a few weeks here or there, especially if I know I won’t be able to make it to the store or just want to cook meals that are quick, easy and still taste pretty good.

Besides, it combines two things that I really enjoy — good food and having a package delivered to my door.

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