Over the past few years, the popularity of food subscription services has grown exponentially, and it’s easy to see why. Between 2022 and 2027, Europe’s pre-prepared meal subscription industry is expected to grow by 8.15%, which will make it worth billions per year in the future. 

Food subscription services are appealing for a variety of reasons. They’re convenient, low-effort, and readily available. Plus, if you’re a parent struggling to find the time for planning and preparing delicious home-cooked meals every night, these meal kit services can be a lifesaver. 

But there’s a lot more to them. So, let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know about food subscription services and what makes them popular with families around the world.

What Are Food Subscription Services? 

Let’s start with the basics. A food subscription service is a service that provides paid subscribers with pre-measured, and often pre-prepped ingredients for a perfect, easy, and delicious home-cooked meal. 

This service essentially provides you with gourmet meal kits that get delivered to your home on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The regularity depends on your subscription. This not only means you get to enjoy an incredibly tasty meal, but you also get to try out lots of different cuisines without leaving home. 

Some of the most notable benefits of food subscription services include: 

• Tasty, interesting, and diverse meals 

• Conveniently fits around your busy schedule 

• Cuts down on shopping trips 

• Makes healthy eating easier 

Thankfully, we’re long past the trope of all mothers being able to cook perfect meals every night. If you’re a parent who works long hours, has little access to kitchen tools, or simply doesn’t enjoy the process of preparing food, meal subscription services could change your evening routine for good. 

Affordability And Cost Per Meal 

Something that puts people off the idea of food subscription services is the expectation of how much they cost. However, you might be surprised to know how affordable they work out per meal. 

The average cost of a four-person meal kit in Europe is around £24. Comparatively, the average cost of four takeout meals is £32, which is £8 less—or one-fourth less than a meal kit costs. 

However, depending on the brand you subscribe to and what type of cuisine it is, the cost could be slightly lower or higher. Generally, the longer your subscription is, the more reduced the price of each meal becomes, so you can save a considerable amount over time. All in all, a food subscription service can work out to much less than eating out or ordering in. 

Reduced Food Wastage 

When you order meal kits via a food subscription service, you can reduce your home’s food waste. Each meal kit comes with perfectly portioned ingredients so that the number of mouths to feed are satisfied without leaving any scraps to throw out. 

As awareness of food waste continues to grow around the world, utilising alternative food preparation methods like this can help to combat unnecessary food loss.

Practical And Technological Convenience 

Subscribing to a daily, weekly, or monthly meal kit service makes dinner prep one of the easiest parts of your day. Both convenient to order online and to prepare at home, these clever all-in-one meal kits are designed to support busy adults who still want to share great food with their loved ones. 

Many of the food subscription services available in the UK and EU are accessed via an app or website, allowing subscribers to browse through a selection of meal options at the swipe of a thumb or the click of a button. Some services also allow you to order meal kits months or weeks in advance. 

When most food subscription packages arrive, they arrive either as fresh ingredients or partially prepped and par-cooked for added convenience. However, all of them come with easy-to-follow instructions so that your direct input is as minimal as possible. 

Food subscription services are also surprisingly accessible. Even if you travel often or move between two different countries, meal kit services are widely available, thus bringing consistency to your schedule. 

The Beauty Of Variety 

These days, you no longer have to travel abroad to enjoy international flavours—or even venture outdoors to a restaurant serving foreign cuisine. You can appreciate all the excitement of fresh new aromas, flavours, and textures from the comfort of your own home. And you only need basic kitchen skills. 

If you’re the type of person who loves experiencing a wide range of different flavours and cuisines, food subscription services can certainly whet your appetite for variety. 

Many brands either specialise in a particular cuisine or offer many different types for you to try. That means you could have Vietnamese pho on one night and Italian Napoletana pizza the next, all without leaving the house or struggling to get your hands on hard-to-find ingredients. 

You’ll also find food subscription services that focus on a specific pantry staple so that you can regularly try new and different taste sensations. You’ll find subscription services for hot sauce, pickles, pasta, salsas, nuts and just about everything else you can imagine.

Diet Specialisation And Healthy Eating 

Another huge benefit that comes along with a food subscription service is the ability to better control the food you consume. If you or someone in your family has a food allergy or follows a special diet such as veganism, catering for those needs becomes much easier. 

A lot of people get overwhelmed at the thought of healthy eating because of how many changes they’ll need to make to their pantry. But with a food subscription service, you don’t need to commit to buying dozens of new products. Simply adjust to them by testing out different meals from around the world. 

Taste The World With Food Subscription Services   

When it comes to fast, easy, and diverse meal prep, food subscription services tick all the boxes and more. With subscription-based meal kits, you can enjoy the flavours of the world without spending loads of money on hard-to-find ingredients or learning a million different kitchen techniques. 

These days, people simply don’t have the time or energy to produce lavish meals from scratch every night. But when all the ingredients are fresh, delicious, high quality and available in advance dinner preparation becomes a breeze. Buon appetito! 

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.