Those home-delivered meal kits are greener than you thought, new study concludes

[OnlinePoker]

Meal kit services, which deliver a box of pre-portioned ingredients and a chef-selected recipe to your door, are hugely popular but get a bad environmental rap due to perceived packaging waste.

But a new study from University of Michigan researchers found that meal kits have a much lower overall carbon footprint than the same meals purchased at a grocery store, despite having more packaging.

Average greenhouse gas emissions were one-third lower for meal kit dinners than the store-bought meals when every step in the process--from the farm to the landfill--was considered, according to the study.

The main reason? Pre-portioned ingredients and a streamlined supply chain lower the overall food loss and waste for meal kits compared to store-bought meals.

https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/uom-thm041719.php
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It's weird. I see these advertised and think "How friggin' lazy are these people that they can't go to the grocery store and buy their own food. It's such a waste".

[Neoma]

1. It's not about laziness.

Some people are triggered into buying unhealthy food whenever they're in the grocery store. I did the imperfect produce box a few times and I noticed I ate A LOT healthier simply because the box doesn't exactly have a chip & icecream isle.

Plus, it's probably handy for people with disabilities.

[exboyfil]

2. It is the service size seasoning and oil packets

that is the most attractive feature of these kits. I want a dish that uses Sesame seed oil. I don't usually use that oil. Now I have a bottle of it. Seasoning since it does not hold its freshness is ever worse.

I personally think the kits are overpriced and never have tried one (I started a couple times on intro offers but decided against it). I can see the appeal for them though.

[Kali]

3. they are so lazy working full time, doing stuff with kids or caretaking

parents, live far from stores, have a desire to try new things, learn to cook, or various other excuses for not getting off their asses and into a grocery store. shit, how lazy are you, not growing your own produce and raising and butchering your meat?

[OnlinePoker]

4. I grow my own produce and chickens. n/t

[murielm99]

5. It is nice that you have time

and live in an environment where you can do that. Many people in this thread have mentioned that they cannot do that.

[Kali]

9. ...

[Phoenix61]

6. Cheaper and healthier, usually, than eating out

Plus the fun of cooking it myself.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I can see the appeal of those kits,

even though I've never used them. I honestly shocked at how much they cost, but I have a lot less money than the people they're aimed at.

[Kali]

8. they aren't budget eating, for sure

but they are nice quality meals that you might order in a restaurant for 25 to 50% less. I see them primarily a plus for young working families that maybe spend too much money eating out and wanting to transition to more home cooking. My sons have gained some skills from preparing them and we have all tried dishes and combinations of things that were new to us. We get them once or twice a month and in place of going out to a half-decent restaurant it is a savings on a nice treat. I originally tried them as an experiment in portion control and to introduce some new vegetables to our routine. They turned out to provide some other value in entertainment and education so I have stayed with my subscription. In a little over 2 years I think we have only repeated 3 or 4 menus (not including recipes that have gone into our regular shop-at-a-store-and-prepare-at-home repertoire) so the variety for mine has been fabulous. The amount of packaging has been a bit of a concern, so this article is interesting and possibly a bit of a relief.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. Oh, yes, I can see that for many people it's a really good thing.

And it's especially good if it's turned into teaching your sons some cooking skills.

Years ago when my sons were little I bought a kids' cookbook, and they took turns choosing a menu out of it which we'd then fix, with them doing most of the fixing.