Meal kit pioneer Blue Apron expects to return to profitability by the second quarter of next year after a post-pandemic decline in demand caused its revenue and margins to tumble – pushing it to adopt an “asset-light” model in which it handed off manufacturing...
The meal kit space is undergoing an evolution in the wake of the pandemic, with affordability and personalization trends top-of-mind for consumers and meal kit marketers alike, according to a new report from Euromonitor International.
While scaling is a challenge for the plant-based industry, Tindle is focused on leveraging its minimal assets to expand its US presence through meal kits primarily sold online and limited retail launches, JJ Kass, VP of business development and strategy...
The Pasta Noodle Company is shaking up the ready-to-eat (RTE) space with a trio of options inspired by classic Italian dishes, created with natural ingredients and ready to eat within two minutes, company founder Paolo Internicola told FoodNavigator-USA....
Kroger-owned meal kit company Home Chef is expanding its southeast footprint with a new dedicated 181,000-square-foot production facility in Georgia to support its growing customer base.
A decade after Blue Apron pioneered the US meal kit market, more than half of Americans have yet to try the service from any vendor, despite dozens of additional players now in the space – a missed opportunity that the company wants to seize with a new...
While meal kit demand surged during COVID-19, many consumers still aren't sold on the idea of a meal subscription and players in this space should embrace the full potential of e-commerce to become "true online grocery retailers" by providing...
On a long-term mission to become the world's leading food solutions group, HelloFresh continues to register strong year-over-year growth in revenue and in key performance metrics including order rates, and active customer acquisition.
Defying expectations, meal kits continue to hold their own as economies reopen and competition from restaurants, in-person gatherings and travel cut into consumers’ appetite and time for at-home cooking – underscoring an evolution in the category led...
The tide appears to be turning for direct-to-consumer subscription boxes, including for food and beverage, with consumer interest dropping dramatically in 2021 compared to last year when the pandemic pushed many people to try the services as a safe and...
Closing out the first half of 2021, HelloFresh reported a year-over-year 83.7% increase in the number of active customers using the meal delivery service worldwide, as well as the continued global expansion of its business in new and existing markets.
Meal kit company HelloFresh is one step closer to becoming a one-stop-shop with the launch of its online store, HelloFresh Market, offering consumers everyday food essentials from snacks to spice blends.
Natural and organic brands catering to alternative eating styles and combining better nutrition with convenience are shifting consumer perceptions of frozen to boost purchase intent and sales that could outlast the pandemic pantry stocking surge of 2020,...
The FDA is looking at how shifting shopping habits during the pandemic, including the rapid adoption of e-commerce to buy groceries and prepared food, may have “reinforced and accelerated” the need for new measures to ensure products are safe through...
Meal kit brands Hellofresh and Blue Apron have both posted strong Q1, 2021 sales figures this week, with Hellofresh attracting a million new customers during the quarter vs the same period last year, while loss-making rival Blue Apron gained a more modest...
Meal kits have gained fresh impetus during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers have embraced food e-commerce and looked for ways to recreate restaurant-quality meals at home. But will they retain their luster post-COVID-19, and what will distinguish...
Meal kit co Home Chef – now part of Kroger – is generating “double-digit, near triple-digit growth year on year,” as it has expanded its offering beyond traditional meal kits that may take 45-55 minutes to prepare, to fully cooked prepared meals that...
While many Americans embraced the creativity of cooking at home as a welcome distraction during the early days of the pandemic, six months of prepping multiple meals a day, seven days a week is taking a toll – prompting some consumers to look for more...
Meal kit co HelloFresh has announced the leasing of new distribution centers in Newnan, Georgia and Irving, Texas to meet growing demand as consumers stay home during the pandemic.
Blue Apron has posted 10% net revenue growth to $131m in Q2 2020 (vs the same period last year), and 29% growth compared to the previous quarter, benefiting from a massive wave of consumers cooking at home more. But will its customer base stick around...
While many Americans have cooked more than ever in recent weeks, with some picking up new skills, demand for fresh ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook meals that require minimal effort has never been higher, says the founder of FreshRealm, which has teamed...
As Americans staying at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus flock to meal kits, both HelloFresh and Blue Apron saw sales lift near the end of their first quarters, but whether the companies can sustain the increase beyond the pandemic depends on...
Meal kit services such as Blue Apron, HelloFresh and Sun Basket are reporting a sharp increase in demand as consumers stay home and cook, although it's unclear how much of a boost they will get longer-term if household budgets become more constrained...
While Blue Apron lost less money in 2019 (-$61m) than it did in 2018 (-$122m) and some customer metrics are improving, bosses at the meal kit co have conceded that they can’t execute a turnaround strategy without raising more capital, and are looking...
Blue Apron has added more flexibility to its meal kit plans with the introduction of a meal prep offering, which provides consumers with eight servings of food for an entire week, all made in one prep session.
For many Americans watching the Super Bowl Feb. 2, what food and beverages are served is just as important, if not more so, than who wins the Big Game – making the sporting event a pivotal marketing moment for brands across categories to lift sales and...
In a further sign that the online subscription and home delivery model for meal kits is challenging to sustain, Albertsons has unveiled plans to phase out the Plated subscription service and focus on building the meal kit brand – which it acquired in...
Meal kit brand Blue Apron posted another sharp decline in revenues and customer numbers in the third quarter but insists that its strategy of focusing on 'high affinity' customers that spend more and stick with the service is working.
National seafood brand Aqua Star believes many consumers underestimate their ability to cook seafood at home and is helping overcome this mental block with the recent launch of Cutting Board Meal Kits sold at major retail stores nationwide.
Meal kit company Sun Basket has expanded its offerings from ready-to-make dinners to an online market of breakfast, lunch, and snack options created in collaboration with partner brands including bone broth and noodle company Nona Lim, fresh pasta brand...
Home Chef meal kits are now available in more than 1,000 Kroger stores targeting the significant subset of consumers that buy into the meal kit concept but don’t want to commit to a subscription, or don’t want to plan meals so far ahead, says Home Chef...
Starting a business is one thing, but making it profitable is another, and one which often requires some trial and error, according to Monica Klausner, the co-founder of the plant-based meal delivery service Veestro.
Time-crunched consumers on the hunt for convenient, last-minute meals increasingly are opting for food prepared outside the home, but a small and growing portion also are interested in learning new cooking techniques and recipes – giving the sluggish...
True Food Innovations will steam ahead expanding its retail offering of Chef'd and True Chef meal kits this year and will also reveal an exclusive licensing deal with a major CPG brand, its president says.
Plant-based meal kit co Purple Carrot has been sold to Japan's largest meal kit and organic food delivery service Oisix ra daichi for an upfront payment of $12.8m, with another $17.2m due in 2021 if it achieves unspecified earn-out* goals.
Meal kit service Sun Basket has closed $30m in a Series E investment led by PivotNorth Capital to accelerate its direct-to-consumer business offering AI-powered meal personalization and meal plans from breakfast to dinner.
Blue Apron will pilot a same-day on-demand service in the Bay Area enabling consumers to order meals by noon for delivery the same evening in an ongoing attempt to reach customers that buy into the meal kit concept but don’t necessarily want to commit...
US sales of in-store meal kits reached $93m in 2018, according to the latest Nielsen data, with 187 new retail meal kit items introduced during the year as high-profile brands sought to reach consumers that like the concept, but don’t want to commit to...
When meal kits first burst onto the scene, they were pitched as a way to prep dinner in a hurry. However, the category’s major players are now finding that consumers are looking for even quicker options for every meal occasion - at more accessible prices.
With the largest research and development network in the industry and a laundry list of new launches designed to meet evolving consumer demands, Stouffer’s demonstrates that legacy brands successfully can go toe-to-toe with startups when it comes to innovation...
When meal kits first launched in the US, Americans were fast to embrace the idea of pre-planned, pre-portioned, ready-to-prepare dinners delivered to their doors, but according to new research from Packaged Facts that love quickly faded for many who became...
Online grocer Peapod’s third annual meal forecasting survey revealed a growing appreciation for home cooked meals and that spending more time in the kitchen cooking healthy dishes is a top resolution for many in 2019.
Plated is continuing the in-store rollout of its meal kits with Albertsons, gaining placement with 37 more stores in the Northeast and 42 locations in the Southwest.
Just Add Cooking (JAC), a meal kit company founded in Boston in 2013, is looking for an extra boost of funding launching a WeFunder campaign with a $300,000 fundraising goal.
Following Kroger's acquisition of Home Chef and months spent scaling up production capabilities, Home Chef meal kits have rolled out to 225 Midwest Kroger retail locations.
While the economics of running a subscription based home delivery model for fresh meal kits are notoriously challenging, shelf-stable kits offer distinct advantages to consumers and operators, argues the founder of gourmet meal kit brand Takeout Kit,...
The future of subscription based meal kit delivery remains bright for players with a differentiated offering and an efficient supply chain, claims the CEO of Purple Carrot, who says the 100% plant-based meal kit brand has experienced “significant growth”...
Convenient solutions for getting dinner on the table at a reasonable hour are growing and the expansion of produce distributor Baldor Specialty Foods’ retail line, Urban Roots Veggie Side Kits, is intended to give consumers a time-saving and creative...
KitcheNet launched as an affordable meal kit delivery company two years ago servicing food insecure areas in Chicago, but learned that its ready-to-make meals weren't hitting a homerun with all of its target demographic.