From subscription boxes to meal kits to meal boxes, there has been a huge shift in the market for how people are choosing to purchase the food they consume. In today’s day and age where costs are high and life is busy, many people are choosing to buy meal boxes, thanks to the convenience that they offer, in order to ensure that they are eating well.
But how did they come about in the first place, and what has led them to become so popular in recent years? Read on to discover more about how meal box delivery services, such as those offered at Pow Food, have gained the status and acclaim that they have today.
The Origins of Meal Box Delivery
Receiving food items in the post is not an entirely new concept; in fact, if we’re being really pedantic, we could even trace meal delivery back to the concept of ‘meals on wheels’. This was prominent during the Second World War, when many people lost their homes due to bombing and were therefore unable to cook their own food, hence volunteers would cook meals and bring them to these people in prams, carts, bicycles with baskets or cars.
As for paid food delivery, one of the earliest examples of this can be dated as far back as 1952, when a company known as the ‘Table Supply Meat Company’ (now Omaha Steaks) began a mail order and home delivery service for their popular cuts of meat, which they packaged in dry ice and cardboard cartons lined with wax paper.
The introduction of shipping-like insulated foam coolers, vacuum packaging and direct parcel shipping made this even easier for them, also paving the way for other meal delivery services like those we have today.
Jumping ahead to more recent years, the efficiency of delivery services both nationally and internationally has allowed subscription services to thrive in all industries. For example, Look Fantastic offer the Beauty Box for people looking to try the best new beauty products, or for more personalised skincare then you may opt for a Skin + Me subscription, whilst those with dogs have the option to receive dog food tailored to their precious pooch’s dietary needs each month with Pure Pet Food.
Anything you could need in your daily life, there is likely a subscription service for it, and meals are no exception. The first fully subscription based meal delivery service originated in Stockholm, Sweden in 2007, whereby a company known as Middagsfrid (translating to ‘Dinner Peace’ in English) delivered bags of fresh groceries to customers' doors with all the ingredients they’d need to prepare a perfectly portioned home-cooked meal.
This service became an instant success, with there being an array of meal kit delivery services now trading all across the world, saving people the hassle of having to plan their meals and buy their groceries, often with ingredients leftover and potentially going to waste.
But what about those of us who haven’t got time to cook? Gone are the days when women had no choice but to stay at home as housewives and cook all the family meals, now women and men alike are out working and earning a living for themselves. Hard work and success very much hold a high precedence in people’s lives today, so it is understandable that people simply struggle to find the time and energy to cook meals from scratch when they get home, let alone keeping these clean and mindful.
That’s where meal boxes come in.
The Rise in Popularity of Meal Box Subscriptions
Perfect Portion Sizes
Unless they have a recipe in front of them, many people struggle to gauge adequate portion sizes when cooking a meal, often making too much and having leftover food that a lot of the time ends up being wasted, or making too little and not feeling satisfied.
With readily prepared meals, the portion sizes are taken care of for you by professionals, so you know that you are getting the perfect amount of food to fill you up without being too excessive. Furthermore, you have the convenience of being able to choose the number of portions you require, whether it be a single portion for yourself or a double portion if you’re ordering meals for you and a partner.
Fresh Ingredients
Have you ever been in the situation where the dinner you cook is determined by certain ingredients needing to be used up before their use by date the next day? We understand the frustration this can bring, especially if you had your heart set on something else to satisfy your tastebuds. With meal boxes, you don’t need to worry about use by dates - you can pick and choose which meal you eat and when!
At Pow Food, all our meals are made using 100% natural, grade 1 fresh ingredients before being frozen to lock in all that goodness whilst preserving their shelf life. There is a stigma surrounding frozen food in that it isn’t good for you simply because it has been frozen, however this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The whole purpose of freezers is to preserve the quality of ingredients, so preparing a meal with fresh ingredients and immediately freezing it means this freshness is retained up until when you eat it, so you are consuming all the beneficial nutrients that the food has to offer. In comparison, buying fresh ingredients and storing them in your fridge for a few days before using them can actually reduce this freshness.
Furthermore, preparing and storing food this way also reduces the need for hidden preservatives, allowing you to enjoy completely clean and healthy meals.
Reduced Food Waste
As we’ve already mentioned, when you purchase your own ingredients you are often left with more than you need, with a lot of this excess not being used or consumed. Did you know that in the UK alone, around 9.5 million tonnes of food are wasted each year? That’s a staggering figure, isn’t it?
Some particular culprits that contribute to this waste are food cupboard ingredients, such as spices and thickening agents, which you may require for one or two recipes then never use otherwise, leaving them sitting in the cupboard to simply go out of date.
When you purchase meal boxes, you can be reassured that such food items being used to prepare your meals will be used to prepare the same meals for other people using such a service, being used to completion rather than being wasted. Moreover, you will have perfectly healthy, filling and enriched meals to enjoy without having to worry about buying your own ingredients that would otherwise go to waste.
Reduced Hassle
One of the key attractions of meal boxes is the hassle that they save. Rather than having to find the time to plan out your meals for the week, work out the ingredients you need for these, buy these, then have to cook these meals either in one batch or individually when you return home after a long day (and the dishwashing on top of this!) readily prepared meals allow you to skip straight to the enjoyment of smelling your food heating in the oven then sitting down to eat it.
All you need to do is pop your meal in the oven and leave it to cook while you spend your time however you require, then enjoy the heartfelt goodness and warmth pleasing your palate.
Cost Effective
It can be costly to regularly eat out or order in takeaways, likewise you will be sending your money down the drain if you buy fresh ingredients only for some of these to be wasted each week. Though not necessarily cheap, meal box subscriptions work out as a much more cost-effective solution to sourcing and eating healthy meals tailored to your diet.
In addition to this, at Pow Food we only use the very best high-quality, natural and ethical grade 1 ingredients that are not always as easily accessible for you when purchasing ingredients for meals yourself, so you know that you’re paying for the very best you can get.
What Makes Prepared Meals a Healthy Choice?
So, what makes Pow Food’s readily prepared meal boxes a healthy choice to consider? Well, we’ve already explored this throughout, but let us break it down for you in a number of simple reasons, including a few we’ve not yet mentioned:
- We use fresh, natural and clean ingredients
- Our meals are immediately frozen to preserve freshness and nutritional benefits
- All our meals are designed by a professional nutritionist and prepped by a skilled team of chefs who understand taste profiling and healthy cooking
- We cater to different dietary requirements, including vegans and pescetarians
- Our meals are all gluten and dairy free (making them perfect for those who are lactose intolerant or with celiac disease)
Healthy Ready Meals Delivered to Your Door
Now in partnership with Tatler Address Book, we are the trusted meal box delivery service that you should come to if you’re looking for high-quality, healthy frozen meals.
You can enjoy restaurant worthy food from the comfort of your own home as either one-off purchases or as part of a more cost-effective subscription service, knowing that you’ll be supporting your wellbeing, energy and gut health with our highly nutritious meals.
If you’re interested in arranging your gluten-free meal delivery, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today with any questions - our team here at Pow Food are always happy to help.