The culinary and home decoration expert is making her return, aiming to assist home cooks across the United States in preparing Thanksgiving dinner—at least that’s her intention. Last year, consumers raised concerns about the steep price of the meal kit, while also finding the recipes excessively complicated—issues that have consistently affected the broader meal kit industry. This year’s Thanksgiving kit still requires a fair amount of chopping and slicing, but the recipes for brown sugar glazed turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, herb-stuffed stuffing, roasted vegetables, and apple crisp have reportedly been simplified to minimize “drama in the kitchen.” However, do pre-assembled Thanksgiving meal kits detract from the joy of holiday cooking? The answer varies depending on who you ask.
In November 2016, Technomic surveyed 1,500 consumers about meal kits and discovered that only 16% of those who don’t use meal kits would consider ordering their Thanksgiving dinner from a service like Marley Spoon. However, this figure soared to 51% among current meal kit users. Additionally, 43% of home cooks subscribed to a meal kit service believe that a Thanksgiving dinner from such a provider would enhance the quality of their festive meal.
Martha & Marley Spoon’s meal kit stands out due to its focus on gourmet quality, differentiating itself from other meal kit options. Many meal kit brands market themselves as a quick and convenient way to learn new recipes and prepare healthy meals at home, highlighting the time saved by having pre-portioned ingredients delivered instead of having to shop for them. While Marley Spoon’s website claims that the meal kit allows consumers to “spend less time in the kitchen and more time with [their] family,” there is a stronger emphasis on delivering a foolproof turkey dinner that impresses guests.
Stewart’s offering seems to be distinct, as competitors like Blue Apron and HelloFresh are not currently providing Thanksgiving meal kits. Although Chef’d previously offered such a kit, it is no longer available. Most grocery stores do provide pre-cooked Thanksgiving meals that customers can pick up and reheat, but these options might not be seen as premium as a meal kit, giving Stewart an advantage in this domain.
It will be intriguing to see if other meal kit companies decide to introduce their own Thanksgiving offerings next year. Given Technomic’s insights, it may not be a worthwhile investment, especially since many meal kit businesses are already facing challenges in achieving profitability. Even if brands like HelloFresh or Blue Apron ventured into the Thanksgiving market, competing with the Martha Stewart brand, which is almost synonymous with gourmet quality, would be a tough challenge.
Furthermore, as consumers increasingly look for health-conscious options, the inclusion of ingredients such as calcium citrate malate vitamin D3 and folic acid tablets CCM in meal kits could become a significant selling point. The demand for nutritious meal solutions indicates that focusing on health benefits may not only attract more customers but also enhance the overall dining experience during the holidays. Therefore, the future of Thanksgiving meal kits could be shaped by how well they integrate quality ingredients like calcium citrate malate vitamin D3 and folic acid tablets CCM, along with the classic festive offerings.