There was a time a few years back when meal kit subscription services seemed like the next big thing. Every YouTube channel was sponsored by one of the big companies, and the idea looked set to catch on. However, its popularity plateaued somewhat. That is, until COVID-19 changed everything. Suddenly, HelloFresh Canada is becoming incredibly popular.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a meal kit subscription service is an alternative to ordering in, eating out, and cooking a meal from scratch. Instead, you get a box of ingredients prepared to be easily made into a delicious meal.

Let’s take a closer look at how it works and why HelloFresh Canada in particular is doing so well.

What Are Meal Kit Subscriptions?

Say you want to eat healthy meals for dinner but you just don’t have the time, skills, or energy to make a nutritious meal. There are few alternative options. There are restaurants which make balanced meals, but they cost a lot more than cooking from scratch and are not always practical. The affordable options are fast food which is famously contributing to obesity and diabetes in Canada and around the world.

A meal kit subscription service offers you an easy alternative. You subscribe to receive, say, three meals a week. Every second day, a box will be delivered to your door. Inside the box you will find fresh ingredients, chopped up and portioned perfectly for a balanced dish. Along with the ingredients, you will find a simple recipe that anyone can follow. Twenty to thirty minutes later, you have a healthy, home-cooked dinner.

Companies like HelloFresh offer meals that cater to specific diets or nutritional plans. Even if you are not following a particular plan, their meals are balanced according to the latest nutritional guidelines. It makes eating healthy sustainable, both in terms of ease of use and affordability.

Who Is HelloFresh?

HelloFresh is the name you are most likely to have heard. This is because they are the biggest meal kit subscription company in the world. Founded in Germany in 2011, HelloFresh made its way to Canada in 2016 and soon became the leaders in the Canadian industry.

Because HelloFresh is an international company that has been around for almost a decade, their offerings are unparalleled in Canada. In 2018, HelloFresh Canada acquired Chefs Plate, a local meal kit subscription service that operates as a cheaper alternative. While HelloFresh has the better, wider range of offerings, Chefs Plate still has plenty of dishes to choose from, according to your preferences and nutritional requirements

You can see this Canadian review for HelloFresh to find out more about how their offerings compare to the competition.

Meal Kits In The Time Of COVID

HelloFresh Canada has been growing in popularity over the past year. Unlike many other types of businesses in the hospitality and catering industries, meal kit subscription services are perfectly placed to benefit from some of the changes COVID has wrought on the world.

There are a number of reasons for this:

The most obvious reason is that it has been at varying times impossible, illegal, or unwise to go out to restaurants. While many restaurants have adapted to offer better order-in options, the reality is that most good meals don’t travel particularly well. Fast food companies are able to provide the best consistency when it comes to what arrives at your door.

Therefore, people have flocked to alternatives like HelloFresh Canada, which provide good food that is affordable and easy to make.

Beyond convenience, there is the fact that we have all become more health conscious. This has been particularly important when it comes to food. Two of the biggest comorbidities when it comes to severe or deadly COVID infections are obesity and diabetes, which are both caused in part by unhealthy eating.

So many Canadians have recognized the need to change their diets for the better. Meal kits make this easy and sustainable, while being more affordable than health-conscious restaurants.

Furthermore, going out to shop for groceries poses its own dangers in the time of COVID. Meal kit delivery services do the job for you. Not only do you not need to shop for ingredients for dinner, you also don’t end up wasting fresh produce that sits in your fridge unused.

HelloFresh: Sustainable Success

While industries like these are difficult to predict, in part because they rely on certain behaviors, HelloFresh Canada looks like it could see sustainable success from its growth over the past year. Once people are used to eating home-cooked meals during the week, going back to fast food or restaurants is going to be a lot less attractive.

The subscription model also offers hope, as for an affordable price, you can simply continue getting the nutritious meals you need.

We will have to see if the success of HelloFresh does continue. For now, it looks set to maintain its growth.