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Meal delivery services give consumers a more convenient way to make home-cooked dinners by delivering fresh, pre-measured ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes to your doorstep.
But just like any other service, each company is different.
Pricing, ingredients, and preparation requirements vary greatly between services. You’ll need to do homework to pick the best one for your family’s needs. If the appeal of a meal delivery subscription is learning new recipes and experimenting with ingredients, you might choose one company. But another may be a better fit if your main interest is speed and simplicity.
BBB has tips to help you select an ideal meal delivery service for your household:
- Research the delivery service. Ask friends and family, read reviews, and check BBB.org to learn about past customers’ experiences.
- Set a budget and check the fine print. Pricing can vary from one company to the next. Make certain the service aligns with your budget. In addition, not all meal delivery services include shipping fees in their pricing and read the fine print.
- Check for introductory offers and promotions. Many companies offer first-time customer discounts or promotions for long-term subscribers. These can help you save, but be cautious of auto-renewals and the regular pricing once the promotional period ends.
- Know your skill level. Before committing to a plan, research what cooking techniques you’ll need to know. Check if the recipes require searing, roasting, and braising to ensure you have the time to learn new techniques.
- Consider ingredient quality. Not all companies offer organic, non-GMO, or free-range meal ingredients. If these are must-haves for your family, ensure the company offers them.
- Check portion sizes and nutritional information. Confirm that portion sizes meet your needs, especially if you’re feeding a family or trying to control portion sizes for weight management. Many services include nutrition labels; review these to see if the meals align with your dietary goals.
- Evaluate the variety of meal options. Variety keeps meal delivery interesting, so look for companies with a diverse menu. Some offer different cuisine styles, dietary choices, or seasonal specials. Read reviews to see if customers feel there’s enough variety or if the menu rotates regularly.
- Determine how much prep work you want. Some companies do more chopping and sauce-making than others. This seemingly small difference can make a big difference in how long each meal takes to make.
- Look for options to personalize meals. Some meal delivery services let you swap ingredients or add extra servings. This can be beneficial if you want more control over flavors, ingredients, or portion sizes.
- Contact customer service. If there ever is a problem - a missing recipe card or ingredient, for example – you want to know you can count on customer service. Ensure there are clear, easy ways to contact the company, even late in the evening. Read the company’s reviews and watch for any indication that customer service is lacking.
- Check the cancellation policy. Before deciding to subscribe to meal delivery, understand the cancellation policy. Each company is different, and some may have very strict policies.
- Be careful with personal information. Most food delivery services process payments online. Ensure the company is legitimate before offering up personal information such as financial information and address.
- Review BBB tips for shopping online. Since meal delivery services don’t usually have brick-and-mortar storefronts, consider the tips in BBB's tips for smart shopping online.
- Look for the BBB Seal. See if the company is BBB Accredited. BBB Accreditation adds peace of mind when purchasing decisions because of the business's commitment to ethics, trust, and integrity in the marketplace. Look for the BBB Seal, the Sign of a Better Business.
For more information
See BBB's tips for safe delivery of your online purchases.
Always look for businesses that follow BBB Accreditation Standards and BBB Standards for Trust.
For more tips and news from BBB, visit BBB.org/news.