9 things you need to know before signing up to a food subscription box

In the last few years, the demand for food subscription boxes has sky-rocketed as we all search for a way to eat more healthily and spice up what we cook on a daily basis (or you know, sometimes just to get us cooking to begin with).

The best meal delivery services are a great way of trying meals you wouldn’t otherwise buy, avoid buying ingredients in excess and reduce the number of food shops you have to make.

And, with popularity rising, they are no longer just for city professionals with poor cooking skills, but for couples and families who are looking to eat healthier without any added fuss.

But, let’s be honest for a second - even with discount codes and special deals, meal delivery services still cost a decent amount. So, to be sure you’re spending wisely, we tried and tested Balance Box, a delivery service designed for weight-loss that pre-prepares your meals for you.

Here is what we learnt, and these are the 9 things you should know before signing up to any food subscription box.

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1. Have a budget

Food subscription boxes can really vary in price, with most of the meals becoming cheaper the bigger your family. In the case of Balance Box, it is £22.99 per day if you sign up to a 4-day box, which is certainly not cheap but you have to consider the fact that unlike many food subscriptions it provides all your meals per day (with snacks), rather than just a dinner recipe. Others vary from about £3 a meal, to £6-7, though many do create quite big meals that you can eat for leftovers the next day.

2. Clear room in your fridge/cupboards

Because of the nature of Balance Box, the service comes with a lot of boxes (three per day, plus snacks) so you need to make sure you clear room in your cupboards and fridge before it arrives. Space in the fridge is especially important as most of the ingredients used in the recipes are fresh so need to be kept cool.

Even if you choose to get recipes (rather than pre-prepared meals), most of the meal delivery services keep all the ingredients for each meal together in a big bag, so we would suggest clearing a whole shelf for your food subscription box if you’re going to get one regularly.

3. Have a 'safe location'

Having somewhere for your box to be left if you’re not in is essential. In the case of Balance Box, in London they deliver the box before 6:30am in so don’t ring the doorbell (because you’re almost certainly asleep) and simply leave it in a “safe location” outside your house for you to collect when you wake up. However, even if the box is delivered during the day, having a safe place for couriers to leave it means you don’t have to worry or wait in for your delivery.

4. Give yourself an extra 15-20 mins to unpack

Depending on how many meals you get, the box can be pretty big so make sure to give yourself enough time to unpack it and put the necessary meals or ingredients in the fridge.

There’s nothing worse than the stress of having to rush first thing in the morning because you’re going to be late for work. It’ll probably take longer than you think to put everything away so be sure to give yourself at least an extra 15 minutes.

5. Make clear any allergies

This is an obvious one. Any of the food subscription boxes should ask you about any allergies you may and dietary requirements. But it is something to be ultra-aware of especially for any of the food subscription boxes that include ready-made meals rather than raw ingredients. In the case of Balance Box, they do include a menu that has a full list of ingredients for each meal.

6. Know How Much Choice You’re Given

With Balance Box, you get to choose the style of menu - eg classic, vegetarian, free from or pescatarian - but beyond that you don’t get to choose the meals themselves. However other subscription services offer a range of recipes for customers to choose from each week - giving you some variety and opportunity to try something new, but ensuring that you have picked something that you know you will like. However, if you prefer to have it all sorted for you by someone else and don’t feel you have time to pick, that option might not be for you.

7. Consider the amount of plastic/recycling

Due to the pre-prepared nature of Balance Box, the subscription does come with a lot of plastic boxes. However, they’re obviously aware of this because they do offer to pick up all of the plastic tubs to be recycled when dropping off your next meal box. They also package most of your snacks in paper - rather than plastic - bags, which is a welcomed addition.

Other subscription boxes have also been called out over “excessive” use of plastic packaging, which can be a pitfall for these subscription boxes who are trying to deliver fresh food safely. If you are trying to avoid single-use plastic, it is worth reading about each box to see firstly, what packaging they use, and secondly, if they offer any recycling pick-up services.

8. Know your work routine

Knowing what days you’re in the office, out for lunches, or at evening events will help you choose the right subscription box for you. If you’re often out for work lunches, then you may want to consider a subscription box for dinner recipes only - and not a box similar to Balance Box that provides all your meals per day.

Alternatively, you can choose how many meals a week get delivered, so if you know you tend to be out for dinners with friends once or twice a week, sign up to a 3-meals-a-week box. That way you won’t have meals piling up in your fridge and you're avoid wasting food and money.

9. Be willing to try new food

Another obvious one, but food subscription boxes are a great opportunity to expand your repertoire of food and try new meals that you didn’t know how to make before (and they’re often healthier, too). This can be a great thing when you feel stuck in your way at mealtime, but it does mean you need to be prepared to try new foods.

For example, when you subscribe to Balance Box you choose a menu-type but not the exact meals within it. That means you need to fully embrace whatever comes your way, as all three of your meals are pre-prepared for you. There’s no opportunity to avoid foods you hate, but it may mean you discover a new favourite food that you would otherwise avoid (pistachios are, now, our snack of choice). In the case of recipe boxes, you have more flexibility with ingredients you don’t like as you have an opportunity to remove them before you make the meal.

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