Meal Kits Reduce Waste

Josh Hix shares insights about the environmental impact of meal kit services versus traditional grocery shopping, challenging common perceptions about waste and efficiency in food distribution.

• Food Waste in Traditional Grocery Stores:

  • ~40% of grocery store produce gets thrown away before customer purchase
  • Average consumer throws away 50% of fresh food they buy
  • Produce is older than most people think due to supply chain

• Meal Kit Efficiency:

  • Only 3% food waste at the company level
  • Customers throw away almost nothing from meal kits
  • More efficient than grocery stores in terms of food waste management

• Packaging Considerations:

  • Uses frozen ice packs (water and cornstarch) instead of dry ice
  • Less efficient in packaging due to individual portions
  • Working towards fully recyclable solutions
  • Hidden Reality: Grocery produce also arrives wrapped in packaging, just not visible to consumers

• Complex Environmental Calculations:

  • Transportation impact varies based on source location
  • Difficult to make direct comparisons due to:
    • Different supply chain models
    • Various transportation methods
    • Complex logistics calculations

• Industry Perspective:

  • Overall environmental impact is different than public perception
  • Meal kit industry may be more sustainable than traditional grocery model
  • Continuing to work on optimization and improvements

The key takeaway is that while meal kit services may use more packaging, their dramatically lower food waste rates and efficient supply chain might make them more environmentally friendly than traditional grocery shopping.