Nutr Res Pract.  2024 Jun;18(3):425-435. 10.4162/nrp.2024.18.3.425.

A study on the relationship between purchases of meal kits and home meal replacements

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Consumer Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
  • 2Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
Meal kits and home meal replacements (HMRs) are rapidly growing segments in the convenience food industry. Consequently, numerous studies have examined consumer perceptions of HMR and meal kits, respectively. HMR is an established segment, while meal kits are a recent category. Both segments offer convenience compared to home-cooked meals. However, meal kits offer a wider variety of recipes with fresh ingredients, requiring simple cooking steps to prepare the meal rather than merely heating the food. Despite the commonalities and differences, previous studies have only examined the purchasing behavior and influencing factors of either the meal kits or HMR. However, changes in the purchasing patterns of both segments may be correlated. This study investigates the relationship between consumer purchasing trends of meal kits and HMR and presents practical recommendations regarding the need of consumers for convenience foods.
MATERIALS/METHODS
We conducted a panel regression analysis of consumer purchase data obtained from shopping receipts, spanning the 2019, 2020, and 2021 waves of the Korean Rural Development Administration.
RESULTS
The results show that the purchases of meal kits and HMR increased during the period, suggesting a complementary relationship between the 2. We also found significant increases in purchases within 2 sub-categories of HMR, namely, ready-to-prepare and readyto-cook, alongside meal kits. These findings were further supported by the results of the sub-regression analysis.
CONCLUSION
The simultaneous growth of meal kits and HMR indicates that convenience foods continue to play a crucial role in meeting consumer needs in the food industry. In addition, considering the significant growth of the HMR sub-categories with fresh ingredients and cooking, we suggest that companies should aim to satisfy the desire of consumers for both convenience as well as freshness and culinary aspects.

Keyword

Convenience foods; food industry; secondary data analysis

Reference

1. Lee EY, Kim YM, Choi MK. Meal kit purchasing behavior and relationship with the nutrition quotient of young adults in Chungnam. J Nutr Health. 2021; 54:534–546.
2. Costa AI. Conceptualization and measurement of personal norms regarding meal preparation. Int J Consum Stud. 2013; 37:596–604.
3. Bizeau D. COVID-19 and Consumer Eating Patterns: Analysis of the Impact on the Meal Kit Industry in the United States [thesis]. Winter Park (FL): Rollins College;2022.
4. Rha JY, Nam Y, Yoon J, Lee B. Korean consumers’ use and concerns about food delivery service. Nutr Res Pract. 2023; 17:583–596. PMID: 37266118.
5. Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT). Current State of the Home Meal Market in the U.S. Naju: aT;2017. p. 2018.
6. Erevelles S, Fukawa N, Swayne L. Big Data consumer analytics and the transformation of marketing. J Bus Res. 2016; 69:897–904.
7. Yi NY, Choi JH. A study of the consumer perception of meal kit using big data analysis. Foodserv Ind J. 2019; 15:211–222.
8. Khan SA, Sowards SK. It’s not just dinner: meal delivery kits as food media for food citizens. Front Commun. 2018; 3:39.
9. Cho M, Bonn MA, Moon S, Chang HS. Home chef meal kits: product attributes, perceived value, and repurchasing intentions the moderating effects of household configuration. J Hosp Tour Manage. 2020; 45:192–202.
10. Wade A, Gupta K, Holben DH. Field notes: people, programs, & policies: exploratory evaluation of home-delivered meal-kits within a rural, southern united states community food system. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2022; 17:718–721.
11. Horning ML, Hill T, Martin CL, Hassan A, Petrovskis A, Bohen L. The east side table make-at-home meal-kit program is feasible and acceptable: a pilot study. Appetite. 2021; 160:105087. PMID: 33359465.
12. Mun JY, Ban HJ, Kim HS. A study on consumers’ perception of meal kit: after the spread of coronavirus infectious disease-19 (COVID-19). Culin Sci Hosp Res. 2020; 26:198–207.
13. Buckley M, Cowan C, McCarthy M. The convenience food market in Great Britain: convenience food lifestyle (CFL) segments. Appetite. 2007; 49:600–617. PMID: 17537540.
14. Andonova Y, Anaza NA, Bennett DH. Riding the subscription box wave: understanding the landscape, challenges, and critical success factors of the subscription box industry. Bus Horiz. 2021; 64:631–646.
15. The Harris Poll. Meal kits deliver on convenience and health [Internet]. Chicago (IL): The Harris Poll;2017. cited 2024 April 14. Available from: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meal-kits-deliver-on-convenience-and-health-300433374.html.
16. Satell G. 5 Things managers should know about the big data economy [Internet]. Jersey City (NJ): Forbes;2014. cited 2023 August 11. Available from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2014/01/26/5-things-managers-should-know-about-the-big-data-economy/.
17. Baskin E, Choi JW, Heo SY, Park SJ. Trends in the home meal replacement market. J Distrib Sci. 2016; 14:5–15.
18. Jo H, Lee S, Choe Y. Home meal replacement market segmentation: a food-related lifestyle. In : Proceedings of 2014 Annual Meeting of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association; 2014 July 27–29; Minneapolis (MN), USA. Milwaukee (WI): Agricultural and Applied Economics Association;2014.
19. Cannibalization YI. J Revenue Pricing Manag. 2012; 11:353–354.
20. Mailloux MH. Impacts on the Interest Level of Consumers Toward Meal Kit Delivery Services. Manila: La Salle University;2017.
21. Moir J, Megheirkouni M, Fletcher KA, Oniga A. Marketing meal kits: from customer agency to corporate social responsibility. Acad J Int Econ Manag Res. 2023; 4:22–33.
22. Statista. Revenue of the meal kit delivery industry in the U.S. 2017–2027 [Internet]. New York (NY): Statista;2023. cited 2024 May 12. Available from: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1346154/united-states-revenue-in-the-meal-kits-market.
23. Larson R. Marketing meal solutions. J Food Prod Mark. 2002; 8:63–71.
24. Food Information Statistics System (aTFIS). Convenience food: processed market segment status report [Internet]. Naju: Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation;2019. cited 2023 Feb. Available from: https://www.atfis.or.kr/home/board/FB0027.do?act=read&bpoId=3260&bcaId=0&pageIndex=1.
25. Oberle MM, Loth KA, Schendel A, Fox CK, Gross AC. Acceptance of a meal kit programme in an outpatient paediatric weight management clinic: a qualitative pilot study. Clin Obes. 2020; 10:e12371. PMID: 32533649.
26. Choi SG, Park DS, Hong WS. A study of singles’ dining-out behavior by the food-related lifestyle on the adults between 25 to 54 years in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. J Foodserv Manag. 2012; 15:131–153.
27. Park S, Hwang JH. A study on the effect of meal kit selection properties on consumers’ purchasing. J Soc Sci. 2021; 28:157–175.
28. Statista. Revenue of the meal kit delivery industry worldwide 2017–2027 [Internet]. New York (NY): Statista;2023. cited 2024 May 12. Available from: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1346146/global-revenue-in-the-meal-kits-market.
29. Costa AI, Dekker M, Beumer RR, Rombouts FM, Jongen WM. A consumer-oriented classification system for home meal replacements. Food Qual Prefer. 2001; 12:229–242.
30. Oh WK, Hong JY. IPA analysis on selection attributes of RTC (ready to cook) type milk kit HMR (home meal replacement). Culin Sci Hosp Res. 2019; 25:69–81.
31. Sharnock TR. Factors that Influence the Consumer Purchase Decision to Subscribe to a Meal-Kit Delivery Service [dissertation]. Johannesburg: University of Pretoria;2018.
32. Moores CJ, Bell LK, Buckingham MJ, Dickinson KM. Are meal kits health promoting? Nutritional analysis of meals from an Australian meal kit service. Health Promot Int. 2021; 36:660–668. PMID: 32944742.
33. Gibson AA, Partridge SR. Nutritional qualities of commercial meal kit subscription services in Australia. Nutrients. 2019; 11:2679. PMID: 31694291.
34. Grier K. An Update on the Canadian Home Meal Replacement Market. Guelph: George Morris Centre;2001.
35. Konrad A. The Swedish meal kit startup that inspired blue apron, plated and HelloFresh speaks out [Internet]. Jersey City (NJ): Forbes;2015. cited 2023 July 7. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestreptalks/2015/10/14/the-swedish-startup-that-inspired-meal-kits-speaks-out/?sh=5d4856972fc6.
36. McKay FH. What’s in a commercial meal kit? Structured review of Australian meal kits. Public Health Nutr. 2023; 26:1284–1292. PMID: 36755462.
37. Seo S, Im SY. Comparison of influencing factors on Korean household’s dining out frequency and HMR purchase frequency using the consumer behavior survey for food 2019. J Tour Sci. 2020; 44:55–78.
38. Statista. Convenience food report 2023 [Internet]. New York (NY): Statista;2023. cited 2024 May 12. Available from: https://www.statista.com/study/48833/convenience-food-report/.
39. Yang HC, Kim JB, Kim AS. Different perception on product attributes of HMR: focusing on college students and consumers. J Distrib Sci. 2016; 14:47–56.
40. Von Laar M, Knier M. Food for Thought: What Factors Influence the Meal Kit Purchase? [master’s thesis]. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School;2021.
41. Bumbudsanpharoke N, Ko S. Packaging technology for home meal replacement: innovations and future prospective. Food Control. 2022; 132:108470.
Full Text Links
  • NRP
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr