When planning meals, “buy fresh, buy local” is the phrase that is top of mind for environmentally conscious consumers. However, you may live in an area that doesn’t have a farmers market; perhaps grocery stores are difficult to get to, or you may have health issues that prevent you from shopping in person. In this case, a meal delivery service may be a good alternative, as they cater to a variety of dietary needs, taking much of the guesswork out of meal planning.
Unfortunately, meal delivery services can also lead to issues like food waste, carbon impact from shipping, and packaging that may not easily be recyclable. That’s why we compiled a list of the most eco-friendly meal delivery services on the market for a variety of needs. If you’re looking for convenience but still wish to minimize your impact on the environment, one of these services may be a good choice for you.
Best Eco-Friendly Meal Delivery Services of 2023
- Best Overall: Green Chef
- Best Value: Dinnerly
- Best for Home Chefs: Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon
- Best for Kids: Nurture Life
- Best Vegan: Daily Harvest
- Best Variety: Sunbasket
- Best Prepared Meals: Territory Foods
Best Overall: Green Chef
Key Specs
- Starting Price: $11.99 per servingDelivery Area: 48 statesProducts Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Green Chef is one of the few meal delivery companies we reviewed that has USDA-certified organic status, along with a rotating menu of fresh, globally-inspired recipes to stave off dinnertime boredom.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Certified organic ingredients Meals in portions of up to six servings Transparent nutritional labeling
Cons
- No free shippingMeal kits require some prep work
Overview
Green Chef won our best overall pick both for its sustainability efforts and flavorful, inventive recipes. The company uses recyclable and compostable packaging whenever possible; your meal kits arrive in corrugated cardboard boxes produced with a minimum of 40 percent recycled content, and with a plant-based product that can be recycled curbside. While testers noted that much of their food came in small #4 plastic bags, they also noted that these could at least be recycled with a little additional effort.
Meals accommodate a variety of dietary preferences, including vegan, vegetarian, keto, and gluten free, and can be ordered in serving sizes that range from two to six, making it easier to find portion sizes that suit your lifestyle. The company uses USDA-certified organic ingredients, and most meals come together in less than 30 minutes.
Pricing and Plans
- 3 meals with 2 servings each: $13.49 per serving4 meals with 2 servings each: $12.99 per serving3 meals with 4 servings each: $12.49 per serving4 meals with 4 servings each: $11.99 per serving3 meals with 6 servings each: $11.99 per serving4 meals with 6 servings each: $11.99 per servingShipping is $9.99
Best Value: Dinnerly
- Starting Price: $4.99 per servingDelivery Area: 48 statesProducts Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Dinnerly offers no-fuss meal kits at a price that’s easy on the wallet.
Pros and Cons
Easy to sort ingredients for allergens Website features detailed information on how to recycle packagingCan choose both recipes and specify a delivery day
Users report issues with chatbot
Overview
Dinnerly keeps its costs low by using a streamlined approach to its food and packaging; by keeping both simple, it is able to keep its prices among the lowest we’ve found in the meal delivery space. The website features easy-to-follow instructions on the packaging used and detailed instructions on how it can be recycled. Testers found the food to be simple but not lacking in flavor; the options available have just enough of a twist to keep these basics comforting without being bland.
Pricing and Plans
- 3 meals with 2 servings each: $7.04 per serving4 meals with 2 servings each: $6.54 per serving5 meals with 2 servings each: $6.44 per serving6 meals with 2 servings each: $6.24 per serving3 meals with 4 servings each: $6.14 per serving4 meals with 4 servings each: $5.89 per serving5 meals with 4 servings each: $5.59 per serving6 meals with 4 servings each: $4.99 per servingShipping is $11.99
Best for Home Chefs: Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon
- Starting Price: $8.69 per servingDelivery Area: 43 statesProducts Arrive: Fresh
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon delivers meal kits ideal for the enthusiastic home cook who also likes the reassurance of ordering from a carbon-neutral company.
Great selection of mealsCarbon neutralProvides a regularly updated sustainability report on website
Requires quite a bit of hands-on cooking timeLimited delivery area
It stands to reason that the legendarily thorough Martha Stewart wouldn’t overlook sustainability; Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon puts its environmental efforts front and center on its website, featuring detailed instructions about its packaging and how best to recycle it. The company also puts out a sustainability report that is updated yearly and has an entire section of its site dedicated to its efforts to maintain carbon neutrality.
This service is definitely geared toward those who enjoy spending some time in the kitchen as opposed to those who find it a chore, but the resulting meals are fresh and full of flavor. Customers can choose two to four servings of each meal, and receive up to six meals per week, with the option to skip a week or more as needed.
- 2 meals with 2 servings each: $12.99 per serving3 meals with 2 servings each: $10.99 per serving4 meals with 2 servings each: $10.49 per serving5 meals with 2 servings each: $9.99 per serving6 meals with 2 servings each: $9.49 per serving2 meals with 4 servings each: $10.49 per serving3 meals with 4 servings each: $9.49 per serving4 meals with 4 servings each: $8.99 per serving5 meals with 4 servings each: $8.99 per serving6 meals with 4 servings each: $8.69 per serving
Best for Kids: Nurture Life
- Starting Price: $6.99 per servingDelivery Area: 48 statesProducts Arrive: Fresh
Busy parents may enjoy having quick, kid-focused meals on hand, and Nurture Life offers a good variety of foods along with clear ingredient sourcing and recycling information.
Packaging is BPA- and phthalate-free Good variety of snack add-onsMeals arrive prepared and ready to heat
Expensive Food is individually packaged, resulting in more waste
Nurture Life offers a variety of kid-friendly meals, finger foods, smoothies, and snacks with the aim of getting a good balance of protein and vegetables into even the pickiest eater. While the meals (like most if not all ready-to-heat options) come individually packaged, the website breaks down the best recycling practices for its materials. As Nurture Life is geared specifically toward kids, you won’t find a lot of spices and inventive cuisine, but testers were pleased with how thorough and thoughtful the company is in its dedication to providing nutrient-dense meals for children of all ages.
Pricing & Plans
- 6 items per week: $7.49 per serving9 items per week: $6.93 per serving 12 items per week: $6.66 per serving 15 items per week: $6.49 per serving Shipping is $8.99
Best Vegan: Daily Harvest
- Starting Price: $6.79 per servingDelivery Area: 48 statesProducts Arrive: Frozen
Daily Harvest delivers plant-based, grab-and-go meals made with predominantly organic ingredients that are ideal for busy vegans.
All meals plant-basedNo refined sugars or GMOsArrives frozen for easy storage
Meals may lack satiety factorCosts can add up quickly
Daily Harvest was created with the intent of making plant-based meals easily accessible to those who want nutrient-dense foods but may lack the time it takes to prepare them. Customers will not suffer from a lack of variety; the company offers hundreds of choices that range from snacks and smoothies to flatbreads and grain bowls. The company’s ultimate goal is to package and ship its products in 100 percent sustainable materials; in the meantime, the website carefully breaks down its packaging by product, clearly noting what items are recyclable (bowls, aluminum trays) and which are not (plastic seals). In addition, Daily Harvest works with the farmers who supply its ingredients to help transition their operations to practices that support organic and regenerative agriculture methods.
Per-Item Pricing
- Lattes: $5.99Forager Bowls: $6.79Mylk & Bites: $7.99Smoothies & Soups: $8.49Scoops: $8.99Harvest Bowls & Flatbreads: $9.79Harvest Bake: $11.99
Volume Discounts
- 9 items: $5 discount14 items: $10 discount24 items: $25 discount
Best Variety: Sunbasket
- Starting Price: $9.99 per servingDelivery Area: 46 statesProducts Arrive: Fresh
With everything from full meals to snacks and sides, Sunbasket has enough variety to satisfy just about any consumer.
Minimum of 99 percent organic ingredientsAccommodates a variety of dietary needsLots of add-ons
No free shipping after first order
Sunbasket rated highly with our testers for its commitment to sustainability throughout its supply chain, emphasizing sustainably sourced meats and produce. The company has stated a goal of using 100 percent recyclable packaging; in the meantime, testers praised its clear instructions on proper disposal, noting that, even if items had to be taken to special recycling centers, nothing had to end up in the landfill. Add to that Sunbasket’s ability to accommodate a variety of dietary needs (gluten-free, paleo, vegan, diabetic-friendly) and protein customization options, and you have a surprisingly sustainable option to your usual trip to the grocery store.
- Meal Kits: start at $11.49 per serving (price varies depending on selection)Fresh & Ready Meals: start at $9.99 per serving (price varies depending on selection)
Best Prepared Meals: Territory Foods
- Starting Price: $12.95Delivery Area: 27 statesProducts Arrive: Fresh
Territory Foods uses a network of independent chefs to ensure the ingredients in its prepared meals are fresh and locally sourced.
Meals arrive fresh and ready to heat Constantly rotating menuAccommodates a variety of diets
Limited delivery areaMeals are single-serve only
Territory believes that good nutrition starts by staying local, collaborating with independent chefs and registered dietitians to create meals that are healthy and arrive ready to heat. The rotating menu accommodates dietary preferences like Whole30, keto, and vegan, and all meals are free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugars. Territory’s website details how to recycle or compost its packaging and ensures this information is on the packaging for added convenience. An added bonus of keeping things local: Your meals don’t have to travel across the country, helping to reduce the overall carbon footprint of using a meal delivery service.
Compare the Best Eco-Friendly Meal Delivery Services
With its impressive selection of tasty recipes and certified organic ingredients, Green Chef wins our pick for the best eco-friendly meal delivery service. The service’s fresh meal kits span a variety of dietary plans and preferences, and the company is both plastic and carbon offset. In addition, the preportioned meals can help reduce food waste by up to 25 percent compared to grocery shopping, meaning customers don’t necessarily have to sacrifice eco-conscious practices for convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Methodology
Our testers ordered from, cooked, and rated 40 different meal delivery services. We carefully scored each one based on meal selection, nutritional information, and sustainability, as well as the flavor, freshness, and quality of each meal and ingredient. Our tester panel includes a mix of dietitians, chefs, and longtime food writers.
- Are Meal Delivery Services Actually Sustainable?
- In short, it depends on the company. Factors like sourcing, ingredients, packaging, and transport all play a role in how much impact a meal delivery service will have on the environment. While shopping locally is typically a more environmentally friendly choice, this may not always be possible for some customers. Meal delivery services can source produce and meats that may be more in line with a customer’s values than what is available to them locally. As always, it’s best to do your research in order to make a decision that aligns with your goals.
- Are Eco-Friendly Meal Delivery Services Expensive?
- Prices can vary considerably depending on the meal delivery service. Meals that include more labor-intensive ingredients like humanely raised meats or organic produce tend to cost more. However, there are affordable options (like Dinnerly) that provide filling meals at an affordable price per serving.
- Do Eco-Friendly Meal Delivery Services Use Organic Ingredients?
- Not all services use organic ingredients and, if the company does, this may not encompass all of its products. In creating our list, we took care to note which companies use organic ingredients in their meals. Green Chef was a top pick in part due to its USDA-certified organic status, but there are others that offer varying degrees of organic products.
- Do Meal Delivery Services Reduce Food Waste?
- Meal delivery services can help reduce food waste by providing customers with the exact amount of a specific ingredient needed to create a meal (no more unused chives left to rot in the fridge!). Most services have a variety of portion sizes available, so it can be easier for customers to choose meal quantities that fit their needs. Singles may find it useful to have preportioned meals on hand if they’re crunched for time, whereas families or those who like the convenience of leftovers may find larger portions ideal.
In short, it depends on the company. Factors like sourcing, ingredients, packaging, and transport all play a role in how much impact a meal delivery service will have on the environment. While shopping locally is typically a more environmentally friendly choice, this may not always be possible for some customers. Meal delivery services can source produce and meats that may be more in line with a customer’s values than what is available to them locally. As always, it’s best to do your research in order to make a decision that aligns with your goals.
Prices can vary considerably depending on the meal delivery service. Meals that include more labor-intensive ingredients like humanely raised meats or organic produce tend to cost more. However, there are affordable options (like Dinnerly) that provide filling meals at an affordable price per serving.
Not all services use organic ingredients and, if the company does, this may not encompass all of its products. In creating our list, we took care to note which companies use organic ingredients in their meals. Green Chef was a top pick in part due to its USDA-certified organic status, but there are others that offer varying degrees of organic products.
Meal delivery services can help reduce food waste by providing customers with the exact amount of a specific ingredient needed to create a meal (no more unused chives left to rot in the fridge!). Most services have a variety of portion sizes available, so it can be easier for customers to choose meal quantities that fit their needs. Singles may find it useful to have preportioned meals on hand if they’re crunched for time, whereas families or those who like the convenience of leftovers may find larger portions ideal.
Best Organic Baby Food Delivery Services
Best Fresh Dog Food Delivery Services
Best Sustainable Clothing Brands
Best Sustainable Subscription Boxes
Best Knitting Subscription Boxes
Best Dumpster Rentals
The Best Plant Delivery Services
Best EV Conversion Companies
The Best RV Rental Companies in 2023
The 29 Best Eco-Friendly Gifts of 2022
The 6 Best Online Art Classes
The 8 Best Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents of 2023
The 6 Best Tea Subscription Boxes of 2023
The Best Eco-Friendly Cyber Week Deals You Can Still Shop
The 10 Best Shampoo Bars of 2023
Best Vegetarian Subscription Boxes
Sign up for our newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
About Us
Privacy Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Terms of Use
Careers
Advertise
Contact
EU Privacy
Environment
Business & Policy
Home & Garden
News
