Meal kit providers hike up prices

Comparison site Too Many Foodboxes, which allows customers to compare meal kit subscriptions, undertook a study which assessed the cost trends of UK meal boxes, including their delivery charges, between 2019 and 2023.

Although this sector has seen an increase, the company notes it is markedly below the UK’s overall inflation patterns. Looking at the broader economic picture, the Bank of England calculates the inflation rate from 2019 to August 2023 to be +21.8%.

The research found that the typical weekly outlay for a subscription offering a half-dozen meals now sits at £38.40, up from £32.70. Based on these figures, meal kits now command an added weekly premium of £5.70. This equates to almost one pound more for each meal.

According to Too Many Foodboxes, the slight change in price is usually subtly embedded into the delivery fees.  

The below table shows the all-inclusive costs of the meal boxes, including delivery fees.

Looking specifically at brands, Too Many Foodboxes say that HelloFresh and Gousto both saw their tariffs rise by 13.3% during the five-year period, while Mindful Chef registered a more restrained uptick of 7.5%.

On the other hand, Allplants and Riverford witnessed more substantial ascensions at 16.4% and 23.7%, respectively. The price increases at Riverford were roughly in line with average UK inflation rates.

It’s worth noting that Green Chef was not part of the UK market in 2019.

In other news, All Things Butter has secured a pre-seeding fund of £530k to support its UK roll-out.​​