There are some vegan meals, but many of them use dairy products, so vegans must choose their Mosaic meals more carefully. The bottom line: Blue Apron is a classic example of a quality meal delivery service. One of the original providers of this service, it also stands out for eco-friendliness.

Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit services and it's also one of the best. In fact, Blue Apron topped our list of best meal delivery services for with a wide range of excellent recipes, all for an affordable price. It's true, you can order bistro steaks and roasted trout dinners with Blue Apron's standard plan, where many services charge extra for those premium proteins.

In addition to solid meal kits, Blue Apron is the most eco-friendly service of the major players, according to a recent study.

The heartier meals are great too, like the cauliflower rice and pesto harvest bowl with cashews and spinach. You won't need more than a saucepan, toaster or blender to prepare most of the meals, and most can be made in as little as 5 minutes.

When I tried Daily Harvest , I loved the interesting smoothie combos such as a chocolate blueberry smoothie with greens, banana and almond butter. The bottom line : It doesn't get much easier than HelloFresh. This service has tons of cheap meal kit options, more than 50 per week, and allows you to add proteins or extra servings to keep the whole crew fed and happy.

HelloFresh has as many as 25 dinner meal kits per week, so it is nearly impossible not to find something you'll like. HelloFresh also has five or six plant-based recipes a week, making it the best cheap meal kit service for vegetarians.

Over the past few years, we've tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service we could get our oven mitts on, and that includes the best budget meal delivery services. Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services we've listed include nutritious plant-based food or high-protein recipes with lots of veggies and lean meats.

To test each cheap meal delivery service, I tried at least four and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I always choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings. For instance, if a meal subscription service offers vegan or vegetarian meals I was sure to try at least one.

I also mixed up the cuisine types to include pasta, meat dishes, bowls and other various styles offered by the brand. To test the best cheap meal kits, there was another set of standards and protocols to adhere to.

Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET. The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals ready to heat and eat.

Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few dollars more per serving. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services are better than others.

Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find the most nutritious options. With almost every service, the more meals or servings are in your order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal.

Ideally, you'll want to determine exactly how much food makes sense for your household. That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around. Services like Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon have meals for similar prices but are focused more on grain bowls and smoothies and might be better for breakfast or lunch versus dinner.

When it comes to meal kits, your options are many, and most services provide weekly recipes that are low on calories but still filling. HelloFresh has the most recipes per week of any meal kit service, so that might be your best bet for finding consistent meals that keep your diet goals on track.

But all services list the calorie content for each recipe, along with carbs, protein, sugar and sodium. Depending on your weight loss goals, a healthy prepared meal delivery or meal kit service can help.

Fresh N Lean, Pete's Real Food and Daily Harvest all have low-calorie meals to choose from. Some of the services listed here are healthy prepared meal delivery services , sending fully cooked meals -- often frozen or partially frozen -- and ready to eat when you receive them.

Others include health-focused meal kits with premeasured ingredients all boxed up and ready for easy weeknight cooking. There's a stark difference between meal kits and meal delivery, but both make dinnertime easier and can translate into healthier eating choices for you in Plus, we sussed out the best healthy meal services for those on special diets like keto or paleo or for those who wish to eat organic prepared meals and meal kits.

Wellness Nutrition. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon.

Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Cheapest Meal Delivery Services of What's the best cheap meal delivery service?

Cheapest meal delivery services for Cheapest prepared meal services compared. How we test meal kits and meal delivery services. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service.

Why you should trust us. Cheap meal delivery FAQs. Back to selection. See at EveryPlate. Best cheap meal kits overall. See at Fresh N' Lean. Best cheap prepared meal delivery overall. See at Dinnerly. Best cheap meal kits for picky eaters. See at Mosaic Foods. Best cheap vegan meals. See at Blue Apron.

Best cheap meal kits that include steak and seafood. See at Daily Harvest. Best cheap meal delivery for breakfast and lunch. See at HelloFresh. Best cheap meal kits for diet and weight loss. FILTER BY all Meal Kit Prepared Meal. Showing 7 of 7 Results. Editors' choice.

Show less. CNET rating out of 10 8. Cons Not as many healthy options No customization allowed. Type Meal Kit. Good for Healthy, family-friendly, comfort food, picky eaters, quick and easy.

Full Review Read full review. See at EveryPlate Best cheap meal kits overall EveryPlate. Budget-savvy shoppers know the most important part of saving on your groceries is to meal plan, so check out their myLidl app to find great sales ahead of time.

This petite grocery store is more than just a store to its fans—shopping there is an adventure. Not a bad uniform if you ask me! Most of their products are store brand , so they can say yes to low prices and no to the middleman. They also put supplier shelving fees on the chopping block, and in exchange, vendors provide their merchandise at a discount.

But there is good news: Everything is always priced as low as possible. I use my Costco membership every week thanks to all the wonderful things they offer. Trust me. Costco is on a never-ending quest for efficiency.

And have you ever seen a Costco commercial? They do almost no traditional advertising, passing the savings on to customers. Plus , their Kirkland Signature brand is a great way to save—and still enjoy the quality of your favorite name brands.

Made by Starbucks. And at Christmastime, did you know you can even buy real American Girl dolls at a discount?

Today, thanks to its huge global footprint, Walmart can get lower prices from its vendors, then pass those savings on to customers.

Walmart is known for the basics—pantry staples, toiletries, laundry detergents and cleaning supplies. And even though I personally tend to eat like a 5-year-old, you healthy eaters will be happy to know Walmart now has organic, keto and gluten-free items. Food 4 Less is an affordable grocery chain you knew that already—it made the cheapest grocery store list!

with stores scattered throughout the West Coast. When you visit a bright yellow Food 4 Less, you could be going into an independent store or one operated by Kroger. Not only are they budget friendly, but some also have Mexican-style carniceria meat departments.

A Mexican deli? Take all my dinero! Expect to bag your own groceries. Food 4 Less is a warehouse-style supermarket, where efficiency is king. Shop at Food 4 Less for your basic grocery, health and beauty items.

I also hear they have a surprisingly affordable organic produce section and wide selection of gluten-free items! With more than stores in Texas and Mexico, grocery giant H-E-B will hand you a tortilla to snack on while you shop.

H-E-B sells the Texas way of life through their Totally Texas regional products. Not kidding! Have you seen these? Hello, teacher gifts! Trying to get in and out fast? This is exactly how my family keeps our groceries under control every week. What are you waiting for? Take the stress out of grocery shopping!

Rachel Cruze is a 1 New York Times bestselling author, financial expert, and host of The Rachel Cruze Show. Rachel writes and speaks on personal finances, budgeting, investing and money trends. Through her shows, books, syndicated columns and speaking events, Rachel shares fun, practical ways to take control of your money and create a life you love.

The Price of Plenty: Should Food Be Cheap? The supermarket revolution made food more affordable and accessible than ever. But do the hidden Richmond Cheap Eats · 1. Country Style Donuts. (). Closed Today · 2. Bell Greek Authentic Grill. (). Closed Now · 3. Proper Pie Co. () HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next tier with portions for $7 or $8 per serving. With family meals clocking in at $5 a serving and single

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Affordable food prices - Here Are The Cheapest Grocery Stores In America · Aldi · SOPA Images//Getty Images · Lidl · WinCo Foods · Market Basket · Trader Joe's · Food4Less The Price of Plenty: Should Food Be Cheap? The supermarket revolution made food more affordable and accessible than ever. But do the hidden Richmond Cheap Eats · 1. Country Style Donuts. (). Closed Today · 2. Bell Greek Authentic Grill. (). Closed Now · 3. Proper Pie Co. () HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next tier with portions for $7 or $8 per serving. With family meals clocking in at $5 a serving and single

Yet, a look beneath the label and beyond the aisle reveals that our culture of food-on-demand has come at significant food justice costs. Food industry actors are currently in a position of power vis-à-vis producers and consumers.

As Eric Holt-Giménez and Yi Wang point out, agri-food companies have stripped farmers and food producers of their autonomy and decision-making power globally. In the US, farmers have few direct-to-consumer options to sell products, as vertically integrated food retailers push producer contracts to guarantee income in an increasingly uncertain climate.

These contracts have forced farmers to obey the orders of agri-food corporations regarding what to grow and how to grow it—orders given based on metrics of crop yield maximization and land-use efficiency as opposed to nutritional quality or environmental safety.

This has led to a preference for mono-agriculture, which supports the efficient mass production of foods but has immense environmental effects, including the destruction of ecosystems for agricultural use , one of the most significant contributors to anthropogenic climate change from the food sector.

Further downstream, the neighborhood grocer, lacking scale-related efficiencies to produce food at a cost competitive with major retailers, is out-competed in the market. Some food manufacturers have embraced this limitation by vertically integrating through mergers and contracts, as smaller food manufacturers cut down on the transaction costs of dealing with customers, which theoretically drives down consumer costs.

This level of integration also creates streamlined efficiency the ability to mass produce the same foodstuffs , which promotes the availability and abundance of food in supermarkets—or at least some supermarkets. Nutritional, accessible, and culturally relevant food is disproportionately situated in middle- and high-income neighborhoods.

This action that promotes food abundance in some areas and food deserts in others, based on income, creates a food apartheid environment. Ashanté Reese, author of Black Food Geographies: Race, Self-Reliance, and Food Access in Washington D. Privacy Policy Contact Us You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the provided link on any marketing message.

Major retailers contribute to the food apartheid environment by locating supermarkets based on profit. Even when stores are located in low-income neighborhoods, food prices gatekeep local consumers from choices. If corporations were to factor in environmental quality, regulated market competition, and rectifying issues of food injustice into the pricing of food, it would become unaffordable.

This could look like advocating for increased regulatory oversight of retail monopolies, encouraging the development of independent production and consumption arrangements i.

Food must remain affordable and become more accessible. Support JSTOR Daily! Join our membership program on Patreon today. JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students.

JSTOR Daily readers can access the original research behind our articles for free on JSTOR. Produce is offered for sale at a grocery store on October 13, in Chicago, Illinois.

Share Copy link Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Reddit WhatsApp Email. By: Aissa Dearing. September 17, September 15, The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. Lidl has been offering affordable groceries since the s and is actively expanding across the East Coast of the U.

Although there are fewer locations than Aldi, they're constantly in close competition for stocking the cheapest groceries. The selection of items is curated to keep the essentials in stock, instead of the added expense of keeping every variety and brand on the shelf.

Their private label brands also have a Love It Guarantee , which means if a product doesn't meet your standards you can get your money back and exchange the item for something else. This big-box store has all of the appeal of members-only clubs like Costco or Sam's Club , but without the expensive fees.

WinCo Foods boasts locations across the West Coast, and is almost entirely employee-owned—which means their staff receive better wages and benefits. And yet the prices are still low. WinCo purchases directly from farmers and manufacturers and has a large quantity of bulk foods, which means their prices undercut many other low-cost retailers.

Another way to cut costs is by not accepting credit cards for payment. But fear not: they do allow payment with debit cards and federal food assistance cards. Market Basket is one of the smaller chains on this list, but their savings make it one of the most affordable places to shop in the U.

A recent study provided by the customer data firm dunnhumby revealed that the New England-based chain was the "top grocery retailer for inflationary times.

For over years, Market Basket has maintained the fierce loyalty of their customers for the high quality food at low prices. You can find anything from international cheeses, freshly squeezed juices, to even handmade sushi without racking up a massive grocery bill.

Trader Joe's is one of our go-to spots for affordable essentials, some of the best frozen food around, and unique snacks. Beyond the adorably kitschy decor and friendly staff, it's also one of the best grocery stores to visit when you're on a budget.

Even amidst the current egg-price hike, the cartons at Trader Joe's remain inexpensive. While some items can get more expensive than at standard grocery stores the produce section can get costly if you're feeding a big family , their private label goods deliver on quality without sacrificing affordability.

If you need shopping inspiration, check out our favorite items here. When you're hunting for low-cost, high quality groceries, Food4Less is an obvious choice. It's literally in the name. Owned by Kroger, this no-frills grocery chain sacrifices a few amenities to save you money. From bagging your own groceries to using the steep discounts offered in their weekly ads, you're sure to find what you need and pay less.

Unlike some of these other affordable grocery stores, Food4Less offers at-home delivery, a pharmacy, and a wide variety of household essentials. But there's a catch: they have locations, but they're only in California, Illinois, and Indiana. What grocery stores in your area have the lowest prices?

Let us know in the comments.