Meal kit delivery services are not only convenient, but study findings also reveal that they have a lesser carbon footprint than grocery-bought meals.

Meal kits are becoming increasingly popular. In 2018, annual meal-kit sales in the United States reached $3.1 billion with nearly 22 percent growth, according to research firm Packaged Facts. At least 9 percent of consumers responding to a Nielsen survey disclosed that they had purchased a meal kit while 25 percent said they would consider buying a meal kit in the next six months.

According to a comparative life-cycle assessment from the University of Michigan, the average greenhouse gas emissions generated from delivered pre-portioned meals were one-third lower compared to equivalent dinner meal kits from stores. This observation considered the entire cycle of food production, from agricultural production to waste generation. These reduced emissions even offset the extra-packaging used for delivered meals.

Lower Carbon Emissions

The study found 2 kilograms carbon footprint for each meal or 33 percent difference between the carbon emissions of an average grocery store meal and a meal kit.

The emission differences were determined by three factors: food waste, packaging, and the supply-chain structure including transportation logistics. They found that despite the increased packaging, meal kits actually yield lesser food waste.

"Meal kits are designed for minimal food waste," said Shelie Miller, director of the University of Michigan Program in the Environment, and senior author of the study.

The researchers measured the emissions of five two-person meals: salmon, cheeseburger, chicken, pasta, and salad that were sourced from Blue Apron and a grocery store. Blue Apron is an ingredient-and-recipe meal kit service.

Lower Food Waste From Meal Kits

Interestingly, it was discovered that emissions linked to food waste from grocery meals surpassed the emission of meal kits for all five meals. The meal kit model also reduces some of the waste that is common in grocery stores like overstocking to prevent shortages.

Pre-portioning ingredients in delivered meal kits also leave lesser food waste compared to meals bought from a grocery. The meals with the largest environmental impact were associated with large amounts of wasted food.

Evidently, emission for last-mile transportations or delivering meal kits to customers was also lower than a back and forth trip to the grocery.

Brent Heard, the study's first author, said the ways consumers are purchasing and receiving food is undergoing a substantial transformation and meal kits are likely to be part of it in some way.

The study is published in the journal Resources, Conservation, and Recycling.