Key Takeaways
Easy, cost-effective, and tasty, meal delivery services and kits have exploded in popularity over the past few years. In fact, oneglobal consumer research platformfound that 48% of Americans tried a meal delivery service at least once in 2021.
More recently, the attention on meal delivery services has been more negative, as many have been plagued withfood safety issues.
In June,Daily Harvest issued a voluntary recallof its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles after the product was linked to 470 reports of illness or adverse reactions, includinggastrointestinal symptomsandliver functionproblems.
Now, the company isfacing several lawsuitslinked to the recall.
In September, HelloFresh issued a recall after ground beef in some of its meal kits was linked to anE. colioutbreak that put at least six people in the hospital.
The short answer? It’s complicated. Here’s what experts want you to know before signing up.
Are Meal Delivery Services FDA Regulated?
Darin Detwiler, PhD, an associate professor of food safety at Northeastern University, told Verywell that while meal kit delivery services are popular, very few companies are required to register with the FDA.
While some states “require third-party delivery services to have some level of food safety certification, the FDA is not necessarily involved,” he said.
The biggest issue, according to Detwiler, is that meal delivery services are still a relatively new business category.
Quality and safety standards exist for restaurants and grocery stores, but meal kit delivery doesn’t quite fit into that box. According to Detwiler, these services are industry “disruptors.” While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does make regulation tricky.
Detwiler points out that we “have a system where our policies and regulatory compliances are built on brick-and-mortar restaurants and stores—which meal kit services are not.“
“Any time you have something that goes outside of that, it becomes more of a challenge,” he said.
What TikTok’s Pink Sauce Can Teach Us About Buying Food Online
Benjamin Chapman, PhD, a professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, told Verywell that the regulatory process for meal delivery services is complicated. As for who oversees food safety for any given meal delivery service, Chapman said that “it really depends on how the business is set up.”
The “kit” aspect of most meal delivery services refers to the different components that are included—but those ingredients don’t necessarily all come from the same place.
Benjamin Chapman, PhDYou assume that all foods are regulated, but that’s just not the case.
Benjamin Chapman, PhD
You assume that all foods are regulated, but that’s just not the case.
In other words, just because a food is on the market doesn’t mean it’s regulated.
“You assume that all foods are regulated,” said Chapman. “But that’s just not the case.”
How to Safely Use a Meal Delivery Service
You don’t have to avoid meal delivery services, but experts do recommend some steps that you can take to stay safe.
Food Safety and How to Prevent Food Poisoning
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