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Meal kit company tackles sustainable packaging

San Francisco-based Sun Basket only uses packaging that is 100% recyclable or compostable for the 1.5 to 2 million certified-organic meals it produces each month.

Sun Basket’s thermal liner is created by filling kraft paper with a uniform inner batting made from recycled paper fibers.
Sun Basket’s thermal liner is created by filling kraft paper with a uniform inner batting made from recycled paper fibers.

One e-commerce channel focused squarely on fresh food delivery that has had a meteoric rise over the last several years is the meal kits market. According to a report from Packaged Facts, “Meal Kits Delivery Services in the U.S., 2nd Edition," in 2017, the meal kits market was worth $5 billion.

Given meal kits’ growing consumer appeal, in 2016 CPGs Hershey and PepsiCo tested the waters, partnering with meal kit provider Chef’d to provide desserts and Quaker Oats breakfast-based meal kits, respectively. Last year, grocery retailer Kroger introduced Prep+Pared meal kits, featuring fresh, seasonal, prepped, and measured ingredients, available for purchase in stores and through ClickList, Kroger’s click-and-collect online grocery service.

More recently, CPGs have invested in meal kit start-ups that give them direct access to consumers through home delivery. These include Unilever’s $9 million investment in Sun Basket, Nestlé’s minority investment in Freshly, Tyson’s collaboration with Tovala, and Smithfield’s $25 million investment in Chef’d.

While meal kits offer convenience to busy consumers and reduce food waste by pre-portioning ingredients, packaging has been a concern for both meal kit customers and providers alike. Namely, the amount required to contain all the premeasured ingredients as well as the insulation and freezer packs needed to keep them cold, much of which cannot be recycled.

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