Pros and cons of the best meal delivery services
Find the best meal delivery service for you in 2020! The chart above honestly and transparently compares the offerings of the best meal delivery services including Veestro, Sun Basket, Hungry Root, Fresh and Lean, Sakari Life, Urban Remedy, Plant-Pure Nation, Hello Fresh, Plated, Blue Apron, and Terra's Kitchen.
Many customers ask us, “What is the difference between MamaSezz and the good food from other prepared meal delivery services and meal kit delivery companies?”
Great question! At MamaSezz we understand that what you put in your body is a big deal and it’s a huge bummer to feel unsatisfied with something you purchased.
So we’re going to be 100% honest with you here.
The picture at the top of this blog is a comparison chart of the major companies in the prepared meal delivery service and meal delivery kit space. Some of the owners of these companies are our business colleagues. We are competitors, but we each do things a little differently and many of them are doing great work. In fact, if you told us what you wanted in a meal delivery service and we thought one of the companies on the list was a better fit for your needs, we’d recommend that you purchase from them.
MamaSezz is different from our prepared meal delivery service competitors and we may not be for you and we want to find the best meal delivery service for you. MamaSezz does have a 100% satisfaction guarantee but before you buy, it's good to know what you are getting.
That’s right. We’re not for everyone. But we aim to please as many folks as we can. We're happy to outline the pros and cons of each of the major meal companies in our space, in an honest and transparent manner. Our hope? By the end of this article, you’ll be able to identify which is the best fit for you, your lifestyle, your goals.
We’ll also tell you a little known trade secret that bugs the heck out of us. When we first started MamaSezz we reached out to a number of review sites to see if they’d be interested in reviewing our product.
When we started we were a wee bit naive about how some aspects of internet marketing work. After a few calls, we quickly realized most review sites charge a good deal of money to review your product. The secret is most review websites, and many top influencers to boot, are what we call pay-to-play. To get your product on the website, businesses often shell out a sum of money and co-write or approve the review.
Why does this matter? Well, paid reviews aren’t exactly an unbiased look at products and the merits of each company. Instead, they’re based on the company's ability to pay. After being given the discount rate of $3,500-$15,000 from top review sites to place our product, we decided to stay away from this kind of marketing. Why? Wouldn’t it increase hits on our website? Absolutely, but we want customers who are a good fit. We want customers we can delight and make happy. We want customers who want our food.
Some things to know
Look for companies that give you a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
The # 1 concern you may have is, "Will I like food?" followed by," I don't want to pay a lot of money for something I don't like." Find a company that is so confident in their product they will give you your money back if you are not happy.
Meal kit vs prepared meals
Meal Kits: Meal kits consist of a recipe booklet and the groceries needed to make the recipes in the booklet.
How it works: Imagine your neighbor has several recipes they want you to try, so they go shopping for you, portion everything out for you, put all the ingredients in a box with their recipe cards and drop it off at your house. You arrive home, put the items in the fridge, and then plan out what days you want to cook. When you are ready to make a recipe you take out the recipe card, pull the appropriate ingredients from your fridge, and make the meal.
Advantages: You get to cook a fun new recipe, you don’t have to shop for groceries, and everything is laid out for you in a step by step plan. This is a fun way to learn to cook.
Disadvantages: Time to make meals and you might feel pressure to cook the meals before the ingredients go bad. To use the fresh ingredients you must cook the suggested meals within a few days of delivery. Especially any greens, meats (remember the products were shipped to you several days ago) and herbs.
Ready-made Prepared Meal Delivery Service meals
Meals arrive pre-cooked and ready to eat. Meals are either delivered fresh or frozen. There are pros and cons to fresh versus frozen meals discussed below.
How it works: Imagine your neighbor, who loves to cook, makes meals for you according to your specifications and drops them off at your house ready to eat. You can eat them right away, put them in your fridge for dinner the next day, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Pros of prepared meal delivery
- Minimal prep time, no cooking required, easy way to get a meal on the table.
- Versatility. If you like to cook some ready-made meals are still great for side dishes or on busy nights.
- Ability to freeze food. Some fresh ready-made meals can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.
Cons of prepared meal delivery
- Not cooking from scratch or buying groceries.
- You can not remove ingredients from your meals.
Pros of freshly prepared meal delivery
- Fresh ready to eat whenever you are ready.
- Fresh ingredients taste fresher.
- No soggy food from the thawing process.
- With proper packaging, fresh meals have an excellent shelf life (up to two weeks) in your fridge.
- Fresh ready-made meals can be frozen and eaten at a later date.
Cons of freshly prepared meal delivery
- Unless the meals are packaged correctly, which extends fresh shelf life, fresh ready-made meals need to be consumed within 5 days of delivery. Whole food plant-based meals have a longer shelf life so we recommend you eat or freeze your unopened MamaSezz meals within 14 days of delivery.
Pros of frozen prepared meal delivery
- Last for 2-3 months in your freezer, no rush to eat the meal
- Convenient for quick microwave meals
Cons of frozen prepared meal delivery
- Frozen ready-made meals may not taste as fresh as freshly made meals. This is sometimes more to do with the packaging and thawing process that traps and releases excess moisture than with the actual freshness of the food. Some companies package their meals fresh frozen - meaning the meals are frozen when they are fresh.
- Check dates on any frozen food make sure it is securely in code. Also when you open the package look for freezer burn or ice crystals on the packaging. Both are signs the frozen food may have been in the freezer too long, or the packaging is damaged and the nutritional value (not to mention taste) are compromised.
- Frozen meals for multiple family members means everyone is eating a different meal.