Meal-kit options have grown in popularity, but are they cost effective?
If you’ve been paying attention to restaurant industry news, you know that restaurant sales and attendance are down, prices are up, and more people are staying at home to cook meals.
The weird part is, a lot of these people are using meal-kit services like Blue Apron or AmazonFresh, and they’re still paying $9 – $15 per meal.
Confused? You’re not alone. At TAGeX Brands, we too were under the impression that the whole point of cooking at home was to save money. For that price, you can go to a chain restaurant like Joe’s Crab Shack and get waited on by servers who are literally required to dance for your entertainment if you tell them it’s your birthday.
Don’t believe us?
Many millennials today are health-conscious and on a tight budget when it comes to food, which is why we are flabbergasted by the fact that meal-kit options are even remotely successful.
So, without further ado, we would like to compare the cost of using a meal-kit service like Blue Apron to the ultra high performance diet of America’s most successful current NFL Quarterback, Tom Brady. That guy probably eats a pretty stacked selection of foods, right? Right.
Let’s break it down.
In an interview with Tom Brady’s personal chef, he explains the bulk of what he prepares for Tom and his family to eat.
“So 80 percent of what they eat is vegetables. [I buy] the freshest vegetables. If it’s not organic, I don’t use it. And whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet, beans. The other 20 percent is lean meats: grass-fed organic steak, duck every now and then, and chicken. As for fish, I mostly cook wild salmon… I’ve just did this quinoa dish with wilted greens. I use kale or Swiss chard or beet greens. I add garlic, toasted in coconut oil. And then some toasted almonds, or this cashew sauce with lime curry, lemongrass, and a little bit of ginger. That’s just comfort food for them.”
Now, we’re going to break down these ingredients by price to see how much it costs to eat like America’s hero, Tom Brady. I priced the foods below based on our local grocery store here in Rochester, New York. Links to all of these foods are at the bottom of this article.
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Organic Brown Rice: $3.59/pound
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Organic Quinoa: $4.99/pound
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Organic Millet: $2.49/pound
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Organic Black Beans: $2.99/pound
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Grass fed Organic Steak: $14.99/pound
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Duck Breast: $15.99/pound
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Organic Chicken Breast: $7.99/pound
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Wild Salmon: $15.99/pound
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Organic Garlic: $9.99/pound
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Organic Kale: $2.99/pound
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Organic Swiss Chard: $2.99/pound
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Beet Greens (couldn’t find organic): $6.99/pound
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Organic Coconut Oil: $6.27/pound
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Organic Ginger: $10.64/pound
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Organic Almonds: $12.65/pound
13 pounds of food for $121.54
Average price: $8.10/pound
The average person eats a whopping 28 pounds of food per week. At an average of $8.10/pound, that’s $226/week to eat like one of the most sensational American athletes of our time. All you have to do, is cook.
On the other hand, for $16.00 less, you could eat like a millennial who didn’t feel like grocery shopping. The choice is yours.
When you run the numbers, meal-kit solutions like Blue Apron or AmazonFresh don’t seem very appealing. So, do meal-kit companies like Blue Apron have a chance in the competitive world of food? Are people really willing to pay that much for the convenience of not grocery shopping?
You might be thinking, “No, that’s not worth it at all and I don’t think meal-kits are going to stand the test of time”. You’re not alone. Thankfully, there are other options. Let’s say you’re not Tom Brady. Maybe you’re just an average football player, like Peyton Manning. What can you eat then? The Millennial Task Force here at TAGeX has put together our own diet based on half a decade as broke college students.
First, you’re going to want to head to your local grocery store and hit the produce section. This may be a new experience for some, but I encourage you to stay with me.
Pick up these ingredients, for these approximate prices:
1. Roma Tomatoes – $1.99/pound
2. Onions – $1.99/pound
3. Green Bell Pepper – $1.99/pound
4. Potatoes – $0.56/pound
5. Brown Rice – $1.99/pound
6. Uncooked Black Beans – $2.99/pound
Math time.
6 pounds of food for $11.51
Average price: $1.92/pound
At 28 pounds of food per week, millennials can spend as little as $53.76/week on food with this simple diet! It might not be enough to get Tom Brady moving, but for us average people and Peyton Manning, it’s sure to do the trick.
What do you think about meal-kits and their place in the food industry? Do you have tips for saving money on food? Tell us in the comment section of this article. We want to hear from you.
-TAGeXperts
*This is how I came up with all of the prices for Tom Brady’s diet. I’m not a math whiz, so if you have a recommendation on how to better calculate the price of this diet, feel free to comment.
Organic Brown Rice: https://www.wegmans.com/search.html?searchKey=organic%20brown%20rice
Organic Quinoa:
https://www.wegmans.com/products/bulk-foods/rice/quinoa/organic-quinoa-grain.html
Organic Millet: https://www.wegmans.com/products/bulk-foods/rice/rice/millet-hulled-organic.html
Organic Black Beans:
https://www.wegmans.com/products/natures-marketplace/grocery/dried-beans/black-beans.html
Grass fed Organic Steak: https://www.wegmans.com/search.html?searchKey=grass%20fed%20organic%20steak
Organic Garlic: https://www.wegmans.com/products/produce/onions-and-garlic/garlic/garlic.html
Wild Salmon: https://www.wegmans.com/products/seafood/salmon/salmon/fresh-wild-alaska-sockeye-salmon-fillet.html
Organic Swiss Chard: https://www.wegmans.com/products/produce/lettuce-and-greens/greens/organic-red-swiss-chard.html
Beet Greens: https://www.wegmans.com/products/produce/lettuce-and-greens/greens/beet-greens.html
Organic Coconut Oil: https://www.wegmans.com/products/natures-marketplace/grocery/oil/extra-virgin-coconut-oil-unrefined-37700.html
Organic Ginger: https://www.wegmans.com/products/grocery-food/fruit/ginger/ginger-medallions.html