Meal Kit Lesson Provides Licking River Area Homemakers With More Food Options

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 Lewis County Extension Office hosted the workshop Meal Kits: Are They Worth It? for the Spring 2020 Licking River Area Homemaker bi-annual leader training in Mason County. Emphasis was placed on understanding the benefits and drawbacks of incorporating meal kits into lifestyle and financial goals. 81 participated in the workshop. Of those surveyed, 93.5% percent indicated they learned benefits of the kits and 94.8% percent indicated they understood drawbacks of using meal kits. Further, 90.9% percent expressed increased understanding of how meal kits fit into their lifestyle and financial goals. 27.2% percent plan to pursue meal kits to help with meal planning and preparation, whereas 75.3% percent plan to use the information to examine the amount of money they currently spend on food. 

In the post-class surveys many attendees expressed interest in trying meal kits in the future. One participant stated “I now know that these kits are available and I may try it sometime. Very good job!”. Another individual remarked that knowing the kits provided appropriate portion sizes and that the kits were good for cooking together was a huge positive in their decision to try a meal kit service.