Convenience has gained a lot of popularity over the years, which are available in all sorts of forms. You can get your groceries delivered, get food delivered directly from a restaurant or you can get food subscription boxes in all sorts of ways.
These boxes exists in so many types and sizes, some of them did the cooking for you and other boxes contain the ingredients to cook a meal yourself. Food subscription boxes are a great way to get the exact ingredients delivered for a recipe, for exactly the amount of people you'll need and when you need it. This can be a great way to get out of your comfort zone of cooking the same meals over and over again, and cook something completely new and exciting.
What are Food Subscription Boxes?
Food Subscription Boxes come in all kinds of sizes and shapes, from meal kits where you have to cook yourself or boxes filled with pre-cooked meals you only have to reheat.
The most popular boxes contain easy to follow recipes with pre-portioned and fresh ingredients to cook your own meal at home. These meals are pre-selected and give you the feeling you're still have a say in what you're eating.
Some people say meal boxes aren't for them, because they feel they are limited in their cooking. But there are also seasonal boxes available directly from farms with fresh produce. This means you can have subscriptions to fruit and vegetable boxes, whatever is in season at that exact moment gets delivered directly from the soil to your doorstep. These kinds of boxes mostly don't contain recipes and can contain vegetables you've never cooked with before. This way you're really challenged to be creative in your cooking, which brings the best out of you because you're not limited in any way.
Nowadays these Food Subscription Boxes exist in numerous sorts and types. Such as Glutenfree, Dairy Free, Low Carb, Keto, Family Friendly or even One Person portions. Whatever you can think of, there is some box out there especially for you. Luckily there is an overview available to help you choose which things are most important to you, such as your budget or dietary restrictions.
There are a lot of different types of Food Subscription Boxes:
- Meal kits: Fresh, pre-portioned ingredients with easy to follow recipes
- Pre-cooked meals: No cooking involded, easy to reheat
- Snack boxes: Discover snacks that are healthy and/or from another culture
- Wine and food pairing boxes: These boxes contain selections that complement each other
- International food boxes: Explore the world through food
The Benefits of Food Subscription Boxes
People with busy lives tend to spend less time at the supermarket, or going through websites or cookbooks looking what to cook. With such a box you don't have to run to the store because you forgot something: everything you need is already delivered at your doorstep.
You don't need to think about anything, they did it for you. Just follow the recipe and you'll end up with plates full of delicious food.
- Convenience: no more wandering the aisles of the supermarkets for meal ideas
- Customization: you can customize your box to your needs, whether this is dietary needs or just simply your taste in food or ingredients
- Exploring: you can explore cuisines or types of food you're not familiair with
- Reduce food waste: the boxes contain precisely the ingredients needed for the recipes, no more buying excess food
- Learning to cook: these boxes are ideal for homecooks to build some confidence in the kitchen without getting overwhelmed
Why is There an Enormous Growth in Meal Boxes?
There is an enormous growth in meal boxes, this can be best explained by convenience and time savings. Busy work schedules, busy family schedules and overall hectic lives can explain why people spend less time shopping for groceries and cooking from scratch. These boxes eliminate grocery shopping, meal planning, portioning ingredients and keeping up with your pantry.
Another trend which can explain why there is an enormous growth is the popularity of health and wellness. A lot of these boxes are stuffed with organic and ethically sourced ingredients. Next to that the food is already portioned, which controls calorie intake and therefore perhaps overeating.
Another reason is a huge increase in online shopping, consumers are more accustomed to it and therefore more comfortable even buying their food online. People just simply love the idea of a 'surprise' box containing new ingredients each week, each fortnight or each month. It's like they receive a 'gift' and people love the idea of unboxing, that's why the Food Subscription Boxes are such a huge succes.
How to Choose the Right Food Subscription Box for You
With all these brands out there, it might be hard to pick which one is the best fit for you. These tips can help you a hand:
- Budget: How much would you like to spend for each meal?
- Dietary Restrictions: Do you have a special diet to follow?
- Culinary Experience: How much cooking experience do you have?
- Frequency: How often would you like to receive a box?
Some of these boxes find sustainable sourcing and packaging very important, which resonates with consumers who care about their environmental footprint.
Conclusion
Popularity of food subcription boxes is driven mostly by convenience, customization, health trends, e-commerce innovation and the urge to discover food from all over the world. These boxes help you save time, effort and can also be a way to save money. This depends on the delivery costs, but also the amount of excessive packaging.