Jamie Wiebe is a writer who lives in Denver, Colorado. She writes about trends in home design, real estate, food, and drink.

When Blue Apron launched in the United States in 2012, investors expected it was poised to make a big impact: three years later, the company announced a $135 million funding round, pegging its valuation at a tidy $2 billion. 

 As 2019 comes to a close, Blue Apron’s outlook is significantly gloomier. Its 30% year-on-year decline has made investors nervous, as has its roughly $26 million net loss between July and September 2019. But the company hopes this downward slide will turn around as 2020 dawns – partly because it has plans to reinvest in its branding and marketing. 

 Despite the meal-kit boom, it seems keeping customers intrigued requires more than just easy eating options.

One strategy that may prove effective is moving meal kits into grocery stores. Despite the concept’s initial widespread adoption, it has been tough to keep Americans from meal-shopping at the grocery store. Instead of cooking whatever Big Meal Kit decides, people can pick a selection of meals that appeal to them. This change in focus is working: in-store meal kit sales grew by 26.5% between 2017 and 2018, reaching a value of $154.6 million. 

 When meal kits are shipped directly to the doorstep, “consumers often feel that they are not enjoying the prepared meals, as they are ‘not in the mood’ for what’s inside,” says Bonnie Balk, a registered dietician and health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics. “People like the autonomy to choose what’s for dinner on a last-minute basis, and find it constricting to have a set meal.” 

 So grabbing a meal kit at the grocery store fulfills a need for last-minute decision-making – without the hassle of meal-prepping.

But it’s not just our desire for last-minute decision-making that’s changing the way we eat and affecting the meal kit industry – it’s the demands on our time and our preferences in terms of 

 we eat. We have less time to cook than we used to: in 2018, the average American one-way commute increased to 27 minutes, which adds up to an extra 20 minutes per week spent commuting compared to 2009. 

 And Americans want a convenient way to make 

 eat their dinner: in one survey, less than half of respondents regularly eat at the dining table, despite three-quarters of respondents saying that was where they had their meals during childhood. 

 So how are meal kits adapting to keep up with the changing demands? What’s the recipe for success?

With eco concerns on the rise, consumers initially worried that meal kits were more damaging to the environment than shopping at a conventional grocery store. However, a 2019 study found that grocery store greenhouse gas emissions are 33% higher than meal kit emissions. 

 So it’s likely that it isn’t environmental concerns that are pulling buyers away from direct-to-door meal kits – more likely, in fact, is that it’s a classic case of subscription fatigue. Of the 19% of American adults who have tried a meal kit service, only 38% of that group still subscribe, and 39% used a meal-kit delivery only once. What’s more, just 9% subscribed for longer than half a year. 

One of the commonly-cited causes of this subscription aversion is price, with 53% of Gen Yers canceling their meal-kit plan because it was too expensive. 

 “Although meal kits are more cost-effective than eating out, they are still pricier than purchasing your own groceries,” says Balk. 

 The evidence is clear: people like the concept of meal kits, but not the cost of weekly deliveries. With an ability to be agile and respond faster to consumer feedback, meal kits are “fighting back,” says Derek Szeto, the founder of subscription-management service Butter. “Additional distribution through Amazon, Kroger, and all your local supermarkets definitely helps the meal kit industry as a whole as it increases variety and reduces the churn of kits overall.” 

 Variety and flexible last-minute choices could be a major player in saving meal kits: after pricing complaints, “I did not like the recipes” was the second most common reason for cancellation. 

With companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh selling their meals in grocery stores, the industry has seen a huge jump in day-of purchases. 

 Part of this success required offering a broader selection of meals: instead of three meals in one box, as is the norm for home-delivery kits, the majority of in-grocery kits are ‘quick kits’, which include all the necessary ingredients and require only one or two steps to prepare a meal. Only 10% of these options are ‘full kits’, meaning the buyer has to go through several steps to make dinner, but the kits do include all the necessary ingredients. 

Meal kits from the grocery store are simplifying dinnertime

Often, Americans want to decide what’s for dinner on the day – not two weeks in advance. That gives easy-to-cook single meals a huge advantage. In fact, the dramatic increase in in-store meal kit sales seems even starker when contrasted with the total sales for ‘center store edibles’, like dairy and frozen foods, which dipped 0.1% in 2017. 

 Part of this can be explained by shoppers’ reluctance to plan in advance. Scouring grocery store shelves for that night’s meal can be understandably overwhelming, especially if you’re not used to turning ingredients into a meal. Home-cooking is in decline, meaning there’s a greater share of people who simply can’t pull together an impromptu meal. Compared to other generations, Gen Yers eat out 30% more, and only 64% consider themselves ‘good cooks’. 

What those Gen Y non-cooks really want is convenience – without sacrificing taste. While 58% of Gen Yers consider themselves a ‘foodie’, 57% think planning meals takes way too much time – both factors that lead them to eat out so often. Healthy food is vital, too, with 60% of Gen Yers believing their generation places more emphasis on health. 

 All of these considerations explain the rise in meal kits, which Szeto attributes to “filling a gap between convenience and freshness.” 

Traditionally, fast meals were more likely to be frozen and then reheated at home, but over time, those have fallen out of favor as concerns about artificial ingredients and freshness came to the fore. “Consumers still want the convenience that frozen meals gave them, though,” says Szeto. “Buying all the groceries, cutting them up, figuring out what to make – that’s the opposite side of the convenience spectrum. Pre-portioned is a balanced solution.” 

Time-poor Americans want help getting meals ready in a flash

In addition to wanting convenient, no-plan meals, diners are increasingly distracted – and that might be partly due to the increasing convenience of healthy meals. Women, for instance, have decreased the amount of time they spend cooking. However, men have not accordingly 

 the amount of time spent cooking, meaning that overall household cooking times have decreased nationwide. In 

, sociologist Josée Johnston hypothesizes that this may be simultaneously responsible for the rise in easy-prep meals and the urge to eat in front of the television or in bed. Why set the table for something you threw together in 15 minutes? 

Among Americans, 88% claim to be ‘zombie eaters’, either watching TV, reading on their laptop or phone, or scrolling through social media during meals. 

 This goes hand-in-hand with the rise in meal kits: eating at home is no longer a serious event – carefully planned, shopped for, and crafted. Instead, it’s a requirement that’s taken care of as quickly as possible – food as fuel instead of a feast. At the very least, experts say, meal kits provide the opportunity to infuse these thoughtless meals with more nutrients than a delivery or takeout dinner. 

“If the debate is between a home-cooked, wholesome meal versus take-out, then home-cooked wins,” says Balk. “But if the question is which takeout place to choose, then meal kits are a better choice. As most meal kits contain a balanced meal with foods from various food groups, it can be a way to sneak in a variety of nutrients when our families will eat whatever is on the table.” 

 Perhaps it is not, then, the grocery store that meal kits are competing with directly – it makes more sense to sell them in-store when comparing them to the rise of meal-delivery apps like Grubhub, Doordash, and Uber Eats, an industry that is expected to reach $200 billion by 2025. 

 Partnering with these services may give rise to an even newer industry – in fact, in October 2018, Blue Apron began delivering à la carte meals in New York City using Seamless and Grubhub. 

Food delivery app collabs are making healthy dinners a breeze

Taking advantage of Gen Yers’ desire for both convenience and health can be a fantastic opportunity for meal kit companies and grocery stores alike. Kroger purchased Home Chef in 2018, and it began rolling out kits in-store during that fall. The debut was so successful that, in February 2019, Kroger rolled out its in-store à la carte offerings to more than 500 additional locations. 

 Thanks to innovations like grocery store alliances and sales on delivery services like Seamless and Grubhub, the global meal kit industry is expected to be worth $8.94 million by 2025. 

Innovation can also come in the type of meal kits offered by these companies. Gen Yers hunting for convenience won’t just stop at dinner – they want easier snacks, breakfasts, and, perhaps most of all, school lunches for their kids. After all, their enthusiasm for healthy eating includes everyone in the family. Meal kits like Yumble and Nurture Life offer easy lunches for children, and they’re attracting investors just like their grown-up siblings: Yumble, for instance, has accrued $8.5 million in funding and plans to open a production plant on the West Coast. 

 The company attributes its success to the healthy, no-prep meals it offers. For parents, it may be the best of both worlds: healthy meals that won’t upend a busy schedule.

And despite initial accusations of not being environmentally-friendly, research shows that meal kits can actually help people become more sustainable. While they do use more packaging than meals bought in the grocery store, they decrease last-mile transportation costs, which can add up dramatically. 

 Additionally, grocery shopping contributes to household food waste. A recipe may require only one-third of a cucumber, but there’s no way to 

 one-third of a cucumber – unless you’re opting for a meal kit, which can divvy up that one-third cucumber between three customers. 

 With this in mind, brands can appeal to eco-aware consumers by focusing on the role meal kits can play in reducing waste.

How Blue Apron Became a $2 Billion Startup in 3 Years

Bonnie Balk is a registered dietician and the wellness expert for Maple Holistics.

Derek Szeto founded RedFlagDeals.com before launching Butter, which helps shoppers track and manage subscription services.

North America

United States

Eating and Drinking

‘How Much Worse Can It Get for Blue Apron This Quarter?’, NASDAQ

‘Meal Kit Mania: Innovation for Foodies’, Nielsen

Interview with Bonnie Balk conducted by the author

‘Nine days on the road. Average commute time reached a new record last year’, The Washington Post

‘Something is changing in the way people eat at home’, The Atlantic

‘Comparison of life cycle environmental impacts from meal kits and grocery store meals’, ScienceDirect

‘Price Is an Obstacle to Meal Kit Popularity, Poll Shows’, Morning Consult

Interview with Derek Szeto conducted by the author

‘National Tracking Poll Crosstabulation Results’, Morning Consult

‘Meal Kits Explode in Brick-and-Mortar Stores’, Progressive Grocer

‘People are cooking less than ever before—here’s why we’re determined to change that’, Well + Good

‘How millennials eat: Are they killing beer, American cheese and canned tuna?’, USA Today

‘How is screen time altering American eating habits?’, Canvas8

‘Report: online food delivery worth $200 by 2025’, Specialty Food Association

‘Blue Apron Launches On-Demand Delivery With New Pilot Program in New York City’, Blue Apron

‘Kroger broadens Home Chef rollout’, Supermarket News

‘Global Meal kit Delivery Service Market Size And Forecast, By Type (Fresh Food, Process Food) And Trend Analysis, 2015 - 2025’, Hexa Research

‘Yumble raises $7m: 'Our investors can see that prepared kids’ food is a monster opportunity’’, Food Navigator

‘Meal kits are ‘greener than you thought’, new study concludes’, Food Navigator

Appealing to those seeking both convenience and healthy food, meal kits are expanding from doorstep delivery to grocery stores, where their à la carte options allow shoppers to make last-minute eating decisions. As we try to do more with less time, how are these kits transforming our days?

How is screen time altering American eating habits?

Gen Yers are returning to the frozen food aisle

HelloFresh uses data to cater to people’s tastes

What are Americans having for dinner?