The use of meal kits is becoming an increasingly common. Undoubtedly, using a meal kit delivery service can make your life much more comfortable, freeing up your grocery store shopping time, and helping you choose your meals for the week. You probably heard of at least a few of them, like Hello Fresh, Home Chef, Sun Basket, or Blue Apron, just to name a few.
While the concept of meal kits is appealing, many people are turned off by the environmental impact. The meal kits are shipped across the country with boxes that are filled with insulation and ice packs. Plus, many items inside the box are packed with plastic packaging.
But not all meal delivery services are the same. Some companies are going the extra mile in terms of sustainability, recyclability, and organic eating. We believe it is an important criterion to consider when you come to choose a meal plan!
Following is our list of the top eco-friendliest meal kit companies out there. We hope this information helps you decide which company might be the best fit for
1. Green Chef - USDA Approved Eco-Friendly Food Delivery
For Green Chef, ’Green‘ is not just part of the name. It sums up their philosophy and agenda as a company. Green Chef management strongly believes in sustainability and green innovation and aims to be as environmentally-friendly as possible!
The Green Chef’s packaging is recyclable, reusable, or compostable, wherever possible. They also offset 100% of their carbon emissions from their operations, including the shipment of every single box that you receive.
We firmly believe that choosing Green Chef means choosing a truly eco-friendly option.
Green Chef is also a USDA-approved company, meaning they use only organic ingredients and sustainable seafood and meats. The company offers a dedicated plant-based meals plan, with many vegan and vegetarian options, for even more eco-friendly eating.
Some great meals we recommend from Green Chef:
- Southwest fajita cheeseburger with Roasted sweet potatoes
- Caribbean shrimps and rice with Mangos & green pepper and chard salad
- Sun-dried tomato flatbread with Balsamic reduction and kale salad
2. Hello Fresh - Eco-Friendly Meal Kit Packaging
It is nice to know that Hello Fresh, one of the biggest meal kit delivery services in the US, takes recycling very seriously! The company recently announced that they are teaming up with Cascades Inc. so that they can provide even more sustainable packaging, using the northbox™ insulated containers for delivery.
HelloFresh is the first meal kit delivery service in the U.S. to utilize this box model, which, with optimal insulation, helps keep the food at peak freshness with the ideal storing temperatures.
All the rest of Hello Fresh packaging is also recyclable. You can see their full guide on how to recycle the Hello Fresh packaging materials on their website.
Some great meals we recommend from Hello fresh:
- Teriyaki Pork Luau Bowls with Kiwi Salsa & Lime Crema
- Yogurt-Marinated Chicken & Garlic Sauce
- Peppercorn-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Brussels Amandine & Mashed Sweet Potatoes
3. Dinnerly - Meal Kit with Eco-Friendy Packaging
Dinnerly is the cheapest meal kit delivery service in the country, with meals offered at less than $5 per serving! That is even cheaper than doing the grocery shopping yourself.
You might think that dinnerly keeps prices low by sending ingredients that are akin to junk food – but that is not the truth! Dinnerly makes sure to provide high-quality ingredients at a fraction of the cost by having a straightforward approach.
Part of this approach means using digital recipe cards instead of wasting paper, fewer ingredients per dish (which also means less chopping and less food waste), and a much simpler packaging that is also much more eco-friendly. The ingredients are not separately packed for each meal kit – That means much less plastic bag use!
Some great meals we recommend from Dinnerly:
- Chinese Pepper Steak with Steamed Jasmine Rice
- Shrimp Alfredo Pasta with Peas & Parmesan
- Middle Eastern Beef Ragu & Buttery Orzo
4. Sunbasket- Best Recyclable Meal Kit
We believe Sunbasket is an amazingly healthy and eco-friendly meal kit service!
The company delivers all organic and sustainable meal kits. The service is offered as a subscription service or as a one-time order at a bit higher price.
Sun Basket makes sure to use 100% recyclable and compostable packaging. That includes the box, the insulating materials, the ice-packs, and the plastic and paper used to wrap the ingredients. You can see the full Sun Basket recycling instructions on their website.
Sun Basket also prioritizes suppliers who use environment-friendly methods when it comes to growing the foods. This includes fishermen that use low-impact fishing methods, ranches that treat animals with respect, and farmers that are pioneers in sustainable crop rotation and water efficiency.
The sun basket meal kits and prepared meals are pre-portioned, which almost always result in less food waste – another aspect to consider.
Lastly, the company also gives back to the community through Feeding America, local food banks, and more. You can see the full details of Sun Basket recycling instructions on their site.
Sun Basket offers a vast menu with more than 30 delicious and exciting meal options every week, ranging from Paleo, Lean & Clean, gluten-free, Mediterranean meals, and more.
Some great meals we recommend from Sun Basket:
- Chicken cacciatore with cauliflower mash
- Fresh fettuccine Bolognese and garlicky baby broccoli
- Pork chops with fig-rosemary sauce and quinoa-endive salad
