8 Eco Friendly Meal Kits To Feed You And Protect The Environment

While meal kits sound appealing, many people are put off by the environmental impact. After all, they are shipped (sometimes across the country). The boxes are also filled with insulation and ice packs, not to mention the plastic packaging that surrounds the food.  Some kits even separate each meal into yet another bag. Are there any eco friendly meal kits out there?

The materials add up fast, especially if you’re ordering multiple meals per week. Eco friendly meal kits aim to reduce this waste in a variety of ways.

The packaging issue has caused many people to turn away from meal kits. Even so, the environmental impact isn’t as bad as it might seem. Some companies focus on local produce to cut down travel time, while others look for ways to decrease their packaging or to make it more sustainable.

Of the eco friendly meal kits below, Sunbasket is by far, my favorite. I eat anything and love interesting foods. After trying 20+ meal kits, Sunbasket meals are the most flavorful and most fun to cook. Plus, they have tons of options and additions you can use to further customize your order.

There are some other good ones on the list too though!

Choosing the right eco friendly meal kit may not only mean less packaging, but also less food waste, fewer trips to the grocery store, and other positive changes. These factors all diminish the negative impacts. Here, we’re focusing on companies that are making efforts to be more sustainable and eco friendly in general. Some are more effective than others, so check them out to see which ones suit your needs.

Eco Friendly Meal Kits

Sunbasket

Sunbasket is a particularly good company if you’re looking for healthy meals. Almost all of their ingredients are USDA organic and they’re also 100% non-GMO. The meats and seafood are all sustainably sourced. There’s even a reliance on local produce, which means that your ingredients don’t need to travel as far.

Sunbasket no longer has traditional meal plans. Instead, their setup process starts by asking you whether you want meal kits or prepared meals, then for the type of diet you follow (paleo, vegetarian, Mediterranean etc.) and your preferred type of meal (high protein, high fiber, avoid lamb, avoid dairy, etc.). You can choose as many of each option as you like.

Your preferences will influence which meals Sunbasket shows you first, but you still have access to their entire menu when choosing meals.

You can then choose between a two-person or four-person subscription and between two, three, four, or five dinners each week. The type of subscription doesn’t determine the price you pay for meal. Instead, the price is based on the type of meal you choose. For example, Wild Pollock with Broccoli, Pine Nuts, and Dijon-herb Sauce costs $14.59 per serving, while a Steak and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Cashew Plum Sauce costs $12.79 per serving instead.

From the eco friendly point of view, Sunbasket is fantastic. They’re completely transparent about where their ingredients are sourced. Sunbasket also focuses on making their materials completely recyclable. This even includes the ice packs, which isn’t the case for most other companies.

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Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot only offers vegan meals, so it makes sense that the company is a good environmental choice. After all, factory-farmed animals do have a negative impact on the environment. Even if you’re not a vegan or vegetarian, having plant-based meals like these regularly can be fantastic for your health.

The meals themselves are appealing too. There is always a risk that vegan meals end up being boring or repetitive, but that’s not the case here. Instead, you have options like Coconut Lentil Soup, a Vietnamese Tofu Bowl, and Butter Roasted Tomato Gratin. You can choose between two and four servings per meal, plus between three and four servings each week. There are also breakfasts and lunches in addition to the dinners.

The company also takes environmental concerns seriously. Most of their packaging material can be recycled and/or is biodegradable. They also provide information about how to reuse some of their packaging for other purposes. The main limitation is the freezer packs. There is little that you can do with these, but this is true for all meal kit companies.

Green Chef

There are many good reasons to try Green Chef, such as their use of organic ingredients or the selection of different options available. You begin by choosing the types of meals you’d like the most. Options here include Protein Packed, Keto, Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean, Fast & Fit, and Gluten Free.

Then, you choose the box size, including two, four, or even six people. The two-person and six-person plans each allow you to choose either three or four meals, while the four-person one offers two, three, or four meals each week.

The meal preferences you select influence which meals Green Chef shows you first. However, you can still choose from the full menu, no matter what. Green Chef once had a limited menu, but now offers more than 30 meals each week. This means there should be at least a few meals suitable for any diet. As I’ve found out myself, the meals taste great too.

Green Chef also has a focus on packaging. Their website contains details about the individual packaging materials and what you can do with them. There is even a link to help you find recycling options in your local area.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is a popular service for its flexibility and focuses on healthy food. The company has six different plans, including Meat & Veggies, Family Friendly, Quick & Easy, Veggie, Fit & Wholesome, and Pescatarian. You can even select multiple plans.

Whatever you choose then influences the specific meals that HelloFresh shows you. However, you’re not stuck with those meals, as you can still choose any others from the HelloFresh menu. It’s also possible to swap proteins and sides to create a better match.

The service caters for two or four people, with two, three, four, five, or six meals each week. Prices range from $8.99 to $12.49 per serving, with most falling between $9.29 and $9.79.

As with many companies, HelloFresh uses a weekly rotating menu. They’ll send out a default set of meals from the menu or you can choose which meals you want. When I reviewed HelloFresh, I found that there were only around eight different meals to choose from. However, the company seems to have expanded their menu since and now offers 30 or more meals each week.

The main environmental aspect is that HelloFresh focuses on local ingredients and sustainably sourced seafood. This means that ingredients aren’t transferred as far and the environmental impact is less.

HelloFresh also provides clear details about how you can recycle their various packaging components, which is another clear advantage. Of course, as is normally the case, the freezer pack isn’t recyclable. The company also claims to be the world’s first carbon natural meal kit, as they use a variety of approaches to offset carbon emissions.

PlateJoy

PlateJoy mightn’t be what you expect from a meal kit service. The company doesn’t send you out a box with prepped ingredients for the week. Instead, they focus on meal planning. Their site provides a lifestyle quiz that is used to learn more about your health goals, tastes, and the food that you’re looking for. You are then able to build a personalized meal plan that has the recipes you want.

Because PlateJoy isn’t providing the ingredients, they are able to offer many more recipes. You simply won’t see this selection anywhere else. You are also provided with a shopping list. This makes it easy to buy the ingredients that you want when you are at the store.

The environmental benefits are easy to see. You still get someone doing all the meal planning for you, but you don’t have to deal with the mess and packaging materials that come with a box full of ingredients.

There’s even an option if you still want ingredients delivered. PlateJoy has partnered with Instacart, which will deliver the food you need. The style is still more environmentally friendly than a meal kit, as you’re not getting prepped and individually wrapped ingredients.

While the style sounds a little unusual, it does truly have some advantages. I noticed this during my own experiment with PlateJoy. If nothing else, the service is an alternative option to consider. You might find that it works better with your diet and food preferences.

Blue Apron

Blue Apron was the first meal kit service and continues to be popular. That’s not so surprising, as the service does consistently provide quality ingredients, along with recipes that taste good. The main limitation that I found when trying out Blue Apron is that the meals get a little repetitive and boring. Even then, the menu seems to improve over time, so you might find that the selection suits you perfectly.

While the service works well, there are some key limitations. For example, they don’t cater to specific diet types, like gluten-free or paleo meals. The individual meals aren’t packaged separately in their boxes either. That issue isn’t a huge deal, but it does mean a little more time sorting through the box when it is time to cook.

The first environmental advantage is that Blue Apron relies on responsibly sourced ingredients, including sustainable seafood and avoiding GMOs. Most of their packaging can be recycled, although there are some limitations. While the service isn’t your best option for being eco friendly, it is still a viable choice.

Good Eggs

Unlike most companies on this list, Good Eggs doesn’t primarily focus on meal kits. Instead, Good Eggs emphasizes the delivery of fresh groceries. This includes a strong reliance on local produce that has recently been harvested. Most of their meal kits are designed to be cooked in 15 minutes or less, making them perfect for busy families.

The company lists several three dinner meal kits, along with a wide range of individual meals to choose from. The style means that you can choose the meals that you’re interested in, rather than having to rely on a revolving menu. You’re not limited to dinner either, there are lunch foods, breakfasts, and even some desserts.

Good Eggs has multiple environmental advantages because the company mostly delivers locally. This includes most zip codes in the Bay Area, including San Francisco. This style allows them to cut out much of the insulation with their boxes. The impact of transport is reduced too, especially as Good Eggs already has trucks on the road.

Even more importantly, Good Eggs cuts out much of the packaging material. Many of the ingredients are just provided as-is. The plastic that is used can often be easily recycled and you can even return some of the packaging to your delivery driver next time.

However, most of those benefits are only true for local deliveries. Good Eggs does now ship nationwide as well. That process requires more insulation and packing materials, along with extra driving – practices that all increase the environmental impact.

Hungryroot

Although Hungryroot is not exactly your typical meal kit service, it does function quite similarly. It’s a personalized grocery service that sends you the groceries with accompanying chef-designed recipes. By answering a series of questions via their ‘quiz’ they learn a few things about you – your goals, the number of people you’re feeding, and the food you like to eat for dinner. They also cater to specific dietary needs like gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, peanut-free, tree-nut free, shellfish-free, egg-free, vegetarian, vegan, and pescatarian.

Hungryroot has a team of food sourcing and personalization experts that look out for the most nutritious options available out there to offer their customers. They ensure that all the food they carry is free of high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and artificial colors.

Sustainability is at the top of their priorities list. They help you eat more plants not just because they’re healthy and taste good but because according to the UN’s 2019 Climate Change Report, incorporating more plants more often into our diet has a positive impact on climate change. Their shipping materials are recyclable, the box, food protector, and paper cooler can be recycled along with your cardboard and paper materials, while the EnviroIce can be used for plant food.

When packing deliveries, they separate shelf-stable items from chilled items for most box sizes, this helps not just in decreasing ice usage and shipping weight but also lessens the overall carbon footprint. They only source what they are able to sell and donate 100% of food stock, if they run into excess, to local food banks.

Are Meal Kits Less Sustainable Than Shopping Yourself?

Meal kits seem like they should be much less sustainable than buying food yourself. After all, they rely on plenty of packaging, much of which isn’t recyclable. They’re also often transported across the country using ice packs. 

However, packaging isn’t the only part of the sustainability equation. Some research even suggests that meal kits can have a lower carbon footprint because the production steps are streamlined and there’s considerably less food waste. This effect is likely for the kits on this list, as the companies have focused on reducing the impact of their packaging as much as possible. 

Other Eco Friendly Options

Meal Kits From Local Stores

Some stores also sell meal kits produced in-house. Some of these are carefully portioned like the meal kits on this list, while others may provide more of some ingredients (like a whole bell pepper when the recipe only calls for half). 

The environmental impact of these kits is often quite low, as the food isn’t transported across the country and doesn’t need much packaging. 

Spice-Based Kits

Some meal kits don’t include many ingredients at all. They focus on recipes instead, along with spices, seasoning blends, and perhaps sauces. SpiceBreeze is one example of this style. 

This approach means that relatively little is shipped to you, which cuts down on packaging and greenhouse gas emissions. You must shop for the ingredients yourself, which isn’t as convenient but gives you the chance to save money by buying in bulk or looking for discounts.

Practice Meal Prep

Meal kits are convenient because everything is prepped and ready to go right in front of you. But, you can do this yourself using meal prep approaches. 

Often, this involves planning your meals carefully to minimize food waste and keep costs low. Then, you shop for the ingredients and prep as much as possible in advance. It’s often possible to do most of the cooking and/or prep for a week’s worth of meals – perhaps on a Saturday afternoon when you have plenty of time and energy. 

While meal prep doesn’t remove the hassle of preparing dinner, it does cut down the stress and time investment on a busy weeknight. It also allows you to source ingredients locally, including from your own garden, which decreases the environmental impact.