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Meal kits are having a bit of a moment, according to CNET's Corin Cesaric. The meal kit industry as a whole was pegged at a total valuation of nearly $26 billion in 2024, per Straits Research, but is expected to reach heights of almost $114 billion by 2033. That same report flagged a few primary cornerstones of the meal kit business's success from relatively modest beginnings: the kits are perceived as a healthier option versus dining out, are seen as reducing food waste, and are credited with both being easy to prepare and offering a strong value proposition.
With Blue Apron, HelloFresh, Gobble, and EveryPlate being joined by several other up-and-comers, competition in the space is fierce -- and so are the pressures and challenges facing both new and established players.
Meal Kit Subscription Fatigue: Real or Imagined?
Per a recent report issued by Gabriela Barkho of Modern Retail, "subscription fatigue" is setting in when it comes to the most loyal customers of meal kit subscription boxes -- and some companies are responding.
"Meal delivery companies are loosening up when it comes to subscriptions," Barkho began.
"Last year, Blue Apron made a major change when it did away with weekly subscription boxes, which came after it was acquired by Wonder in 2023. Now, smaller companies are following suit... In a recent report from SupportNinja, where someone 'mystery shopped' from four different meal delivery services, Moelter noted one common friction point that showed up repeatedly. When a customer tries to pause, skip or cancel a delivery after a delayed box or an unexpected menu swap, they are often met with tight cutoff windows, unclear brand policies and slow support," she added.
And while "Autoship & Save" is still an option for Blue Apron loyalists who prefer the old model, the a la carte approach seems to be gaining traction as customers demand more flexibility -- or a "try before you buy" dip in the pool before committing to a subscription. Smaller participants in the segment, including smoothie specialists Daily Harvest and Indian cuisine company The Cumin Club, endorsed this significant change to the model.
“Being able to order one time means the addressable market increases significantly, especially for ethnic cuisine,” said Cumin Club co-founder Ragoth Bala, whose company pulls in $5 million in yearly revenue and is growing 50% YoY.
“Where we have landed is essentially that subscription fatigue is real. Our customers or would-be customers wrote to us saying, ‘I would really love to try this but I hate subscriptions,'" Bala continued.
Several meal kit companies are also moving beyond DTC sales to cultivate partnerships with retailers. The Cumin Club has dealings with Amazon, Walmart, and Sprouts, Daily Harvest with Target and Kroger, and Blue Apron is selling on platforms such as Misfits Market.
Meal Kit Subscriptions and the Prevalence of (Perhaps) False Advertising
On the other hand, some problems persisting from the earliest days of meal kit subscriptions remain. As Truth in Advertising (TINA) detailed, a number of regulators have targeted HelloFresh over perceived "deceptive marketing" claims tied to "free" meals, in addition to "shady subscription practices."
"In November 2025, Oregon’s Department of Justice reached a settlement with HelloFresh after an investigation found the company advertised 'free' meals that were never free. In reality, the free meals – advertised in promotions that used language such as '10 free meals' – were discounts spread across multiple weekly orders that required consumers to spend hundreds of dollars to receive the full promotion," TINA reported, pivoting also to note two other legal decisions which cast the same "free meals" offer, as well as sly auto-renewal practices, into light.