Jul 19, 2019

By: Chad Ross, Manager, Industry Relations & Total Store Collaboration, Food Marketing Institute
delivery

After an hour of prep and fifty minutes of baking, I’m putting the final touches on my homemade lasagna—the best way to cap off a busy, but productive Wednesday evening. As I pull the flawlessly cooked meal out of the oven, I begin to hear Nicholas Britell’s composition entitled Agape play in the background. One of my favorite compositions being played as I’m about to enjoy a tasty meal—perfection! As the song crescendos, I realize there is an alarm going off in the background. In that split second I open my eyes, reach for my phone and press the off button on my alarm as Agape comes to a sudden halt and I awake from my dream to discover the delicious meal all a product of my imagination.

I pull up my calendar to see a typical Wednesday—eight hours of work, plus another hour at the gym, sprinkle in an additional hour of round-trip commuting. I should be home by 6:00 pm. Did I unfreeze the chicken (most likely not)? What am I going to have for dinner and how can I make it exciting?  

Then, I get a pleasant reminder. Today is Wednesday, and that means my meal kit will be delivered to my office by end of day. I open the app and see what is being sent my way (after modifying my selection the week before). I think the Pulled Pork Enchilada Skillet with Lime Crema sounds AMAZING! More importantly, cook time is just fifteen minutes.

According to FMI’s 2019 U.S Grocery Shopper Trends report, 17% of U.S. shoppers have tried a least one subscription-model approach to food procurement, most often online meal kits or grocery deliveries. Men have adopted meal kits at a higher rate than women (12% vs. 8%) and report a significantly higher frequency of meal kit deliveries. Have modern men finally found their solution to culinary bliss?

Here are some of my reasons for being a meal kit connoisseur:

Meal Planning Made Easy

I love to eat well, but I lack creativity or expertise to pull together a great meal.

Expands My Culinary Skills

I wanted meal options that breakup my rotation of spices that I seemingly put on everything and expand my culinary skills.

Experimentation Made Simple

My customizable meal kit allows me to try new foods without having to figure out the difference between a scallion and a shallot.

Anyone Can Do It

Using my ability to follow directions, which I perfected in childhood while building Legos, I can make an incredible meal in fifteen minutes with all the ingredients included.

Download U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends