Lite n’ Easy has been rated best healthy meal delivery service for the fourth year in a row by Canstar Blue, as home-delivery food service popularity surges with Australian consumers seeking convenience.

According to Jason Pallant, a retail researcher at Swinburne University, consumers feel “time-poor and stressed”, making home delivery services popular.

“Having something we don’t have to think about, being ‘what’s for dinner and how we’re going to cook it’ is appealing,” he told The New Daily.

Dr Pallant said delivery services increasingly offer aggressive price deals for consumers, including cheap delivery and extra services.

This has led shoppers to search for take-away food on apps rather than searching for restaurants in their area.

“For a restaurant, that’s a really interesting conundrum,” Dr Pallant said.

“For exposure purposes, apps have become advertising channels.

“Because now you almost have to be on the delivery services. If not, consumers might not find you.”

But many restaurants have higher prices for delivery services because these services charge high commissions.

“If you want the cheapest prices for the food, it’s definitely not on the delivery apps,” Dr Pallant said.

“It’s actually quite expensive to do listed delivery apps, and what you’re paying for is convenience, not necessarily just from it being delivered, but the convenience of not having to jump between different restaurants, websites.”

Dr Pallant said savvy consumers are now searching on delivery apps, finding the restaurant they want, and going directly to that restaurant’s website for lower prices.

Healthy alternative

Another trend in the food delivery market is the rise of healthy meal delivery services.

Australian-owned Lite n’ Easy has been rated the country’s best healthy meal delivery service for the fourth year in a row by Canstar Blue, after the comparison website surveyed more than 1100 Australians.

Lite n’ Easy was the only brand to be given five stars in almost every category, including taste, variety of meals, freshness, website/app experience, delivery, customer service, value for money, and overall satisfaction.

Here are the overall satisfaction ratings for the healthy meal delivery services in Australia, as rated by consumers:

1. Lite n’ Easy – 5 Stars
2. Marley Spoon – 4 Stars
3. My Muscle Chef – 4 Stars
4. HelloFresh – 4 Stars
5. Dinnerly – 3 Stars
6. Youfoodz – 3 Stars

Canstar Blue’s site editor Dean Heckscher noted the increasing competition in the market for healthy meal delivery, catering to diverse nutritional needs.

“Consumers aren’t short of options in the healthy meal delivery market, and aren’t afraid to shop around if a service isn’t fulfilling their needs, from providing convenient delivery times, to the variety and taste of meals available, as well as the value for money for the service,” Heckscher said.

Food boxes

Dr Pallant said food boxes have become a popular alternative to ready-made meals in Australia as they offer a middle ground between cooking at home and convenience.

These fresh food delivery services, including recipe deliveries, provide all the necessary ingredients for a home-cooked meal, without the hassle of shopping and meal planning.

They offer the convenience of not having to think about what’s for dinner, while still allowing customers to feel like they’ve cooked a home-cooked meal by simply reheating the pre-prepared ingredients.

According to Mealprep, a website specialising in meal planning, the following is a list of Australia’s top food box delivery services, with an average cost of five meals for two people.

Dr Pallant said consumers should ultimately consider the value they’re getting from the services they’re using.

“If it’s worth the extra cost for the convenience, then that’s fantastic, and you should continue using the service,” he said.

“However, if it’s not worth the cost, consider exploring alternative options where you can get better overall value, even if it requires a little extra effort. By doing so, you may actually save quite a lot of money.”