Meal prep delivery service
Savvy Tips & Helpful Hints

5 Tips for choosing the best meal prep delivery service

Meal prep services are the ultimate in convenient eating. They’ll deliver all the ingredients you need, straight to your door, along with a recipe kit to help you get cooking. As these services become more popular, the amount of choice broadens. Making the right decision can seem difficult, but these tips will help.

#1 Consider your dietary needs

First and foremost, think of what your dietary needs and aims are. Bodybuilders, for example, who require a protein-rich diet, will need different meals than someone who spends their days in the office. Everybody has different dietary requirements, be that due to a lifestyle choice or a medical condition. Not all meal prep services will be able to cater to those needs. Some will offer fairly restricted menus, so do your research and choose carefully.

#2 Some companies are healthier than others

Along similar lines, many people consider meal prep to be, almost by default, healthy, but that isn’t always the case. While some services like Murphy’s Produce prioritize not just healthy meals but a healthy lifestyle, many others don’t. Read carefully through the meals on offer but don’t be taken in by lots of vegetables and fresh produce. Look for hidden fat and salt content, as well as any additives that might make their way into your meals.

#3 Beware of allergies

Food allergies can be life-threatening, especially if they’re related to something like nuts or fish. Allergies are getting more common, and they make finding the right diet difficult. Most meal prep services will be able to work with allergies, but your choices might become quite restricted. If you’re allergic to nuts, for example, you could find that a lot of nuts are used in other dishes, potentially contaminating the whole menu. It pays to be extra careful and get in contact if you need to.

#4 Can you make savings?

Meals are delivered on a schedule, but you can usually make some savings by ordering for the long term. You’ll normally earn a discount by ordering a month’s worth of meals rather than a week’s, and buying in bulk often pays dividends. Always check whether there’s a coupon or discount code available for new customers, too. Most services will have some kind of offer to entice new customers in, but you might have to do a bit of searching across social media to find it. Research is always worth it, though, and could mean quite a substantial saving.

#5 Always read reviews

Most meal prep services do a fantastic job of making themselves look good on social media. They upload delicious-looking images of food, complete with testimonials. However, the review section usually hides a darker truth. You’ll sometimes find reviewers complaining about out-of-date or even rotten food arriving at their door. Some will complain that deliveries don’t come on time, that recipes are unclear, or that parcels are damaged. Always consult reviews to get a feel for how the company really performs.