By: Chad Ross, Manager, Industry Relations & Total Store Collaboration, Food Marketing Institute

After an hour of prep and fifty minutes of baking, I’m putting the final touches on my homemade lasagna—the best way to cap off a busy, but productive Wednesday evening. As I pull the flawlessly cooked meal out of the oven, I begin to hear Nicholas Britell’s composition entitled Agape play in the background. One of my favorite compositions being played as I’m about to enjoy a tasty meal—perfection! As the song crescendos, I realize there is an alarm going off in the background. In that split second I open my eyes, reach for my phone and press the off button on my alarm as Agape comes to a sudden halt and I awake from my dream to discover the delicious meal all a product of my imagination.

I pull up my calendar to see a typical Wednesday—eight hours of work, plus another hour at the gym, sprinkle in an additional hour of round-trip commuting. I should be home by 6:00 pm. Did I unfreeze the chicken (most likely not)? What am I going to have for dinner and how can I make it exciting?  

Then, I get a pleasant reminder. Today is Wednesday, and that means my meal kit will be delivered to my office by end of day. I open the app and see what is being sent my way (after modifying my selection the week before). I think the Pulled Pork Enchilada Skillet with Lime Crema sounds AMAZING! More importantly, cook time is just fifteen minutes.

According to FMI’s 2019 U.S Grocery Shopper Trends report, 17% of U.S. shoppers have tried a least one subscription-model approach to food procurement, most often online meal kits or grocery deliveries. Men have adopted meal kits at a higher rate than women (12% vs. 8%) and report a significantly higher frequency of meal kit deliveries. Have modern men finally found their solution to culinary bliss?

Here are some of my reasons for being a meal kit connoisseur:

Meal Planning Made Easy

I love to eat well, but I lack creativity or expertise to pull together a great meal.

Expands My Culinary Skills

I wanted meal options that breakup my rotation of spices that I seemingly put on everything and expand my culinary skills.

Experimentation Made Simple

My customizable meal kit allows me to try new foods without having to figure out the difference between a scallion and a shallot.

Anyone Can Do It

Using my ability to follow directions, which I perfected in childhood while building Legos, I can make an incredible meal in fifteen minutes with all the ingredients included.

Download U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends