Meal kits have evolved dramatically in the 13 years since Blue Apron launched in the US. Today, nine major meal kit services operate across the country and their convenient dinner packages have become comparatively cheaper and better suited to people with dietary restrictions.
Increased competition has brought variety and consumer-friendly makeovers to meal delivery services, but much of the population is still skeptical. In a recent CNET survey of more than 2,600 US adults, most of those who hadn't yet tried a service (61%) had some kind of preconceived notion holding them back.
Barrier 1: Meal kit cost
Although grocery prices have skyrocketed, the cost of meal kits has remained relatively stable. Blue Apron
More than 60% of respondents said high cost has kept them from trying meal kits. While meal kits were once a pricier alternative to buying groceries and cooking at home, stubborn grocery inflation in the past several years has challenged that. In fact, meal kit prices have stayed relatively stable, with some brands providing better or equal value compared to purchasing expensive ingredients at the store.
Read more: Meal Kits Have Gotten Cheap, but Are They Cheaper Than Groceries?
Inflation hasn't affected meal kits much
Grocery prices have ballooned more than 35% since 2012. A previous CNET survey from 2024 found that the rising cost of groceries was the biggest financial pain point for most Americans.
Because meal kit services thrive on customer retention and competition is stiff, most companies aren't willing to raise prices at the risk of turning off existing and new subscribers.
Consider Blue Apron, CNET's top-rated meal kit service for 2025. When Blue Apron launched in 2012, the average cost per serving was $10. That per-serving cost has barely risen since then. Today, most meals on Blue Apron's current menu are between $10 and $12 per serving.
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