The 5 Most Sustainable Meal Delivery Services Of 2023

Each week a rotating menu of about 20 meal kits and 13 premade options drops with options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Need more protein? You'll also find four dozen bulk add-on options, like organic ground chicken, Wagyu burgers, and falafel. Full transparency: The meal kits are a little more customizable—you can choose specific dietary needs and preferences—but you'll have to do a little digging to find the right premade meals for your needs.

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Sustainability & quality: Sustainability and food quality are top of mind at Sunbasket. Company chefs try to include at least 99% USDA-certified organic produce, eggs, milk, and yogurt in all meals. Ingredients are sourced from small, local farms whenever possible, and if there's ever a time that a non-organic ingredient must be substituted, Sunbasket will let you know. Seafood is sustainably sourced, and animal proteins come only from farmers and ranchers who follow strict animal welfare standards. All packaging is recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable, and much of that packaging is made from recycled materials too.

Cost: From $9.99 per serving

Sign-Up Promo for new customers: Get $90 off your first order, plus a free gift

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Mix and match recipes from as many categories as you'd like. The menu changes weekly with about 24 new options each week, which all take between 25 and 40 minutes to prepare. Another thing that sets Green Chef apart—aside from its sustainable focus—is the ability to choose six servings per box; many other meal kits cap out at four servings.

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Sustainability & quality: Green Chef is a certified organic company that's committed to supporting local, family farms and craft economies. All produce and eggs are 100% organic, and proteins are sourced from farmers and ranchers that follow high animal welfare standards. Most of the packaging is made from recyclable, compostable, and/or reusable materials, but some ingredients arrive in plastic wrap that's not recyclable. As mentioned, Green Chef also offsets 100% of its carbon footprint from operations, including shipping.

Cost: From $11.99 per serving

Sign-Up Promo for new customers: Get $358 off throughout your first five boxes

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There's only one menu, so the meal variety is a bit limited; there are around 16 meals per week, many of which are Whole30-approved. When choosing meals, you can filter by allergens, specific diets, and preferences like no garlic, mushrooms, or nightshades, making it easy to fill your box with meals that are catered to your needs. The lack of recipe rotation means you'll also quickly discover what works for your eating preferences and tastebuds (or what doesn't).

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Sustainability & quality: The Good Kitchen is constantly working to reduce its carbon footprint. The company uses 100% recyclable packaging and recently introduced liners made with recycled materials. The only thing that you can't recycle is the gel inside the ice packs, but it's nontoxic and biodegradable, so the formula can go right down the drain. All meals include organic produce whenever possible (the company prioritizes the Dirty Dozen list), and ingredients are always GMO-free and sourced as locally as possible. Beef is grass-fed and grass-finished, pork, lamb, and turkey are pastured, and poultry and eggs are antibiotic- and hormone-free.

Cost: From $13.65 per serving

Sign-Up Promo for new customers: Get $20 off your first order with a referral

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You can also skip the subscription and get an on-demand box that includes a variety of items from the menu (so you won't ever accidentally order a meal that you don't really need). Most of the offerings are lighter fare; think smoothies, soups, and noodle and grain bowls. Bonus: Everything arrives ready to heat...or ready to drink in the case of smoothies.

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Sustainability & quality: Splendid Spoon is mindful of everything within its operation, from the supply chain to packaging. There's a centralized distribution center, and all packaging is 100% recyclable. Unlike other companies that rely on gel packs, Splendid Spoon ships its boxes with dry ice to further reduce waste and keep shipping more efficient. Since 2015, the company has reduced its carbon footprint by 80% and is currently working toward 100% sustainability. All ingredients in smoothies and wellness shots are 100% non-GMO and 95% organic. For other meals, Splendid Spoon prioritizes the Dirty Dozen. 

Price: From $8.75 per serving

Sign-up promo for new customers: Save $20 on each of your first three orders

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There's a lot of variety in the meal kits; you can choose from breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and what Purple Carrot calls "plantry" items (chocolate bars, crackers, condiments, etc.). However, the recently launched prepared meals are a bit more limited with about 8 dinners available each week.

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Sustainability & quality: Purple Carrot is working to limit its environmental impact by sourcing from farmers in different areas and swapping out plastic packaging for more sustainable options. The company currently uses mostly recyclable plastics, as well as cardboard boxes and lines, but there are some things—like bubble liners and plastic wrap—that your community may not currently recycle though. If your area doesn't recycle the gel packs included in each box, they are reusable. Most non-produce ingredients you'll find in your box—like beans, nut milks, tofu, and vegan cheeses and yogurts—are also organic.

Price: From $11 per serving

Sign-up promo for new customers: Get $20 off your first four boxes and free shipping on your first order.

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