Eva Sorrentino, MS, RD, LD

September 21st, 2018


New companies are popping up every day for one of the newest trends, boxed meals!  Several companies now allow you to order a box full of pre-measured ingredients for you to cook your own meal and it is delivered right to your door.  These services allow you to sign up for a plan and choose the frequency and meals you want based on your preferences and number of family members. The only things you need are oil, salt, pepper and kitchen tools and most meals only take about 30 minutes to prepare.  This may sound like a dream come true for your busy schedule, but there are several pros and cons to these types of services.


Eliminates shopping because the boxes include everything you need

Try new cuisines by choosing from a variety of menus

Spend more time with family and less time shopping and planning

Great for special diets with hard to find ingredients like vegan or allergies like gluten

Healthy options available that include proteins and veggies

Hold or pause your food plan at any time


Cost of each meal is more than most people spend shopping and cooking themselves

High salt content in some of the menu options

Quantity of meals/recipes are exact so you will not have any leftovers

A lot of packaging waste because each ingredient is separately packaged

Not a cooking class although each menu includes cooking instructions, individuals will need to know how to navigate the kitchen and use cooking tools

If you are looking into trying one of the many boxed meal options available, weigh these pros and cons before you sign up!