Making the Most of Meal Kits

I love convenience as much as anyone. I don’t remember life without fast food, ATMs, mobile phones, online shopping, multivitamins and TV remote controls.

However, I have seriously mixed feeling about the sustainability of the much-touted home delivered meal kits. When I say sustainability, I’m not talking about environmental issues, but the long-term viability and growth of the business beyond a loyal, albeit, small cadre of higher income customers.

If you’re in an urban area, home delivery of any kind is problematic—especially perishables. One slip up in delivery or storage can result in a raft of health and safety issues. And anyone who has time to wait for a delivery probably has the time to walk a couple of blocks to the local food store.

Price is also going to be a roadblock. Once kit companies start limiting promotions and sign-up discounts, consumers are going to find out just how expensive this can be and when quality slips—as it inevitably will—the bloom will be off the rose.

However, I believe meal kits can be a valuable new takeout strategy and an enhancement to a strong private label program. If retailers are willing to devote some labor, space and thought to portion control, this can be a profitable new category, not only bringing busy, convenience oriented customers into the stores but teaching new generations the joy of cooking good food.

It’s the old saying—“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”