It is estimated that 20 percent of adults in the United States have tried at least one meal kit delivery service. With the demand for convenience in our society, meal kits seem to be the answer for grocery shopping, meal planning, and meal preparation. Anyone who has not tried meal kits might be interested in learning how meal kits work and whether they are worth the investment for preparing and consuming more meals at home. 

In response to this, the Martin County Extension Agent hosted the workshop Meal Kits: Are They Worth It? for the Northeast Area Extension Homemakers. Emphasis was placed on understanding the benefits and drawbacks of incorporating meal kits into lifestyle and financial goals. There were 19 females participated in the workshop. Of those surveyed, 100% percent indicated they learned benefits of the kits and 100% percent indicated they understood drawbacks of using meal kits. Further, 100% percent expressed increased understanding of how meal kits fit into their lifestyle and financial goals. 10% percent plan to pursue meal kits to help with meal planning and preparation, whereas 90% percent plan to use the information to examine the amount of money they currently spend on food. 

One participate shared that she is always tempted to purchase meal kits because of the amount of coupons she receives via mail, but now that she knows that it is more expensive, she will just be continuing her regular grocery runs.