Table 2.
Comparison of the average nutritional qualities per serve from 12 recipes from each of the five meal kit subscription services.
| Nutritional Quality | Dinnerly | HelloFresh™ | MarleySpoon™ | Pepper Leaf | Thomas Farms Kitchen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food groups (No. of serves) a | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD |
| Vegetable | 2.6 ± 0.7 | 3.1 ± 1.8 | 2.8 ± 1.2 | 2.6 ± 1.3 | 2.3 ± 1.6 |
| Dark green | 0.3 ± 0.5 | 0.1 ± 0.2 | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.1 ± 0.3 |
| Red orange | 0.6 ± 0.6 | 1.4 ± 1.7 | 0.8 ± 1.2 | 0.6 ± 0.5 | 0.8 ± 1.0 |
| Starchy | 0.1 ± 0.4 | 0.4 ± 0.7 | 0.1 ± 0.4 | 0.4 ± 1.1 | 0.2 ± 0.5 |
| Legumes | 0.4 ± 0.7 | 0.1 ± 0.5 | 0.2 ± 0.6 | 0.3 ± 0.6 | 0.1 ± 0.5 |
| Other | 1.1 ± 0.9 | 0.9 ± 0.7 | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 0.9 ± 0.4 | 1.1 ± 1.3 |
| Grains | 2.4 ± 1.9 | 1.8 ± 1.9 | 2.5 ± 1.8 | 2.8 ± 1.4 | 1.8 ± 2.0 |
| Refined | 1.5 ± 2.0 | 1.8 ± 1.9 | 2.3 ± 1.9 | 2.4 ± 1.6 | 1.4 ± 2.0 |
| Wholegrain | 0.9 ± 1.5 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.2 ± 0.7 | 0.3 ± 1.1 | 0.4 ± 1.1 |
| Meat/alternatives | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 1.3 ± 0.7 | 1.7 ± 0.9 | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 1.7 ± 0.4 |
| Dairy | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.5 ± 0.6 | 0.2 ± 0.3 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.5 |
| Macronutrients | |||||
| Energy (kJ) | 2945 ± 873 | 3683 ± 787 | 2891 ± 539 | 2959 ± 930 | 3904 ± 890 |
| Protein (g) | 34.4 ± 14.1 | 38.9 ± 12.2 | 41.9 ± 10.5 | 35.0 ± 13.6 | 48.0 ± 8.4 |
| Total fat (g) | 34.8 ± 11.2 | 53.4 ± 11.8 | 30.3 ± 9.9 | 32.2 ± 15.7 | 61.7 ± 17.9 |
| Saturated fat (g) | 9.6 ± 6.6 | 16.7 ± 8.8 | 6.3 ± 2.1 | 6.0 ± 3.3 | 22.2 ± 12.6 |
| Polyunsaturated (g) | 5.7 ± 3.2 | 6.4 ± 3.0 | 6.0 ± 3.3 | 5.4 ± 3.4 | 5.7 ± 2.1 |
| Monounsaturated (g) | 16.9 ± 6.8 | 26.5 ± 7.5 | 15.4 ± 7.2 | 18.2 ± 10.1 | 29.1 ± 5.6 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 58.2 ± 35.9 | 56.0 ± 25.8 | 56.8 ± 21.6 | 63.6 ± 20.3 | 42.7 ± 30.0 |
| Sugars (g) | 14.9 ± 12.0 | 17.0 ± 8.2 | 10.9 ± 4.1 | 10.7 ± 7.8 | 9.0 ± 3.7 |
| Dietary fibre (g) | 10.7 ± 3.3 | 10.1 ± 5.2 | 10.4 ± 3.0 | 10.2 ± 4.7 | 8.6 ± 3.3 |
| Minerals | |||||
| Sodium (mg) | 853 ± 467 | 1426 ± 688 | 779 ± 334 | 866 ± 488 | 723 ± 404 |
| Potassium (mg) | 1164 ± 222 | 1343 ± 337 | 1168 ± 222 | 1151 ± 563 | 1216 ± 337 |
| Calcium (mg) | 174 ± 91 | 279 ± 183 | 173 ± 93 | 179 ± 157 | 233 ± 146 |
| Phosphorus(mg) | 523 ± 149 | 605 ± 137 | 575 ± 130 | 519 ± 186 | 628 ± 159 |
| Zinc (mg) | 4.1 ± 1.6 | 4.2 ± 1.4 | 5.9 ± 3.1 | 4.1 ± 1.8 | 6.1 ± 2.4 |
| Iron (mg) | 4.8 ± 1.3 | 4.4 ± 1.4 | 5.1 ± 1.5 | 5.1 ± 1.7 | 5.4 ± 2.4 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 132 ± 55 | 124 ± 28 | 123 ± 45 | 112 ± 38 | 107 ± 16 |
| Vitamins | |||||
| Thiamin (mg) | 0.5 ± 0.3 | 0.6 ± 0.6 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.5 ± 0.7 | 0.4 ± 0.3 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.1 | 0.5 ± 0.1 |
| Niacin (mg) b | 16.6 ± 7.9 | 18.8 ± 9.4 | 17.5 ± 6.7 | 16.0 ± 9.7 | 22.0 ± 5.8 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) c | 1.1 ± 0.8 | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 1.3 ± 1.3 | 1.0 ± 0.7 | 0.9 ± 0.4 |
| Vitamin B12 (μg) | 1.1 ± 1.3 | 1.2 ± 0.8 | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 1.3 ± 1.3 | 2.0 ± 0.8 |
| Folate (μg) d | 201 ± 126 | 150 ± 122 | 116 ± 51 | 132 ± 62 | 95 ± 51 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 65 ± 54 | 60 ± 58 | 80 ± 71 | 60 ± 38 | 45 ± 39 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 7.9 ± 3.3 | 11.4 ± 4.6 | 7.6 ± 4.3 | 7.7 ± 3.3 | 9.4 ± 3.0 |
| Vitamin A (μg) e | 403 ± 408 | 1111 ± 985 | 710 ± 732 | 487 ± 437 | 557 ± 561 |
a In FoodWorks software food group serves are informed by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. A full description of the groups, subgroups and serving sizes of food groups is available on their website. b Niacin equivalents; c By analysis; d Total dietary folate equivalents; e Total vitamin A equivalents.