Choosing the Best Sustainable Recipe Boxes
Compare All 17 Ethical Recipe Box Brands with Our Ratings Table
Why Opt for Ethical Recipe Box Brands?
Recipe boxes and meal kits offer a convenient way to enjoy fresh, home-cooked meals with minimal effort. With the UK’s meal kit market projected to reach £1.5bn by 2025 (Statista), these services are becoming key players in the food industry.
As this market grows, it’s crucial to consider the ethics behind these brands. Recipe boxes involve elements like transportation, packaging, and sourcing ingredients that can significantly impact the environment. Your choice matters, and The Good Shopping Guide is here to help you make the best decision for both you and the planet.
This article explores the ethical considerations in choosing a recipe box service and highlights the most responsible brands. We’ll also share tips on how to be a more ethical consumer in this rapidly expanding sector.
Importance of Transportation in Recipe Box Delivery
Transportation is a major factor when selecting a recipe box service. According to ScienceDirect, recipe boxes and meal kits on average generate 33% fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than store-bought meals. However, each brand’s delivery approach can vary significantly.
Choosing a recipe box service with greener deliveries should not require compromising on their methods. Some brands offer 100% carbon-neutral delivery, while others fall short.
To assist consumers, we’ve added a new research criterion: Transportation. Brands receive a top rating for carbon-neutral deliveries, a middle rating for partial carbon-neutral deliveries, and a bottom rating for no carbon-neutral options or information. This helps you align your choice with your environmental concerns regarding delivery.
Tackling Packaging Waste
Packaging is another significant issue in the recipe box industry. Excessive packaging, especially plastic, deters many consumers. ScienceDirect reports that 16% of consumers stop purchasing online meal kits due to packaging waste. Although there isn’t a specific criterion for packaging, brands scoring high in our Environmental Report criterion are likely minimizing packaging waste. Many use eco-friendly materials like recycled cardboard or compostable wrapping, further reducing their environmental impact.
We’re pleased that numerous ethical brands, such as Grubby and Simmer, offer 100% recyclable packaging.
Ethical Consumer Tip: Check for signs or labels indicating whether packaging is recycled, recyclable, or compostable. If not, you might find a more ethical choice on our Ethical Recipe Box Ratings Table.
Our Research Findings: Recipe Box Brands to Avoid
Our research into the UK’s leading recipe box brands reveals which ones to avoid. Find the full ratings on our Recipe Box Ethical Comparison table.
Our evaluation focuses on three main categories: The Environment, Animals, and People. For more details, read this article.
Brands like Mindful Chef and SimplyCook received the lowest scores due to concerns about their parent company, Nestlé. Issues such as political donations, public criticisms, and poor animal welfare practices impact these brands’ ethical scores.
The Most Ethical Recipe Box Brands
On a positive note, we’ve identified the top brands committed to sustainability and ethical practices. Brands like Riverford Organic, Planty, and Grubby earned top scores in key areas like transportation, environmental report, and vegan/vegetarian options.
It is worth noting that Gousto and Mindful Chef do not meet our ethical benchmark standard. Despite Gousto’s B Corp certification, the company’s GSG Ethical Score leaves it just short of being recommended by The Good Shopping Guide.
Riverford Organic stands out as the UK’s only fully organic meal delivery service, earning top ratings for its organic offerings and lack of genetically modified ingredients. Riverford also partners with Ripple Effect to plant and manage fruit trees in Ethiopia, absorbing CO2 emissions.
Grubby and Planty offer entirely plant-based recipe boxes and earned Ethical Innovator status for their sustainable efforts. These brands provide a wide range of plant-based options and uphold strong ethical initiatives focusing on sustainability and responsible sourcing.
Discover more ethical brands by checking our full Ethical Recipe Box Ratings table. For responsible choices, these brands should be at the top of your list.
The Good Shopping Guide researched popular recipe box and meal kit delivery brands, making it easy for you to choose more ethical options without the hassle. Click on any brand to learn more about its ethical practices.
Riverford Organic, Grubby, Planty, Field Doctor, Green Chef, Gousto, Hello Fresh, Nonna Tonda, Pasta Evangelists, Prep Kitchen, Simmer, Stocked, The Cookaway, The Spice Tailor