How to Be a Conscious Eater

of ingredients—thanks in part to one of the greatest selling

points of meal kits, which is the transparency you gain into

what you’re eating—and it’s potentially cooked in a way that’s

healthier. (Most people don’t have deep-fat fryers at home, for

instance.)

To truly assess this as a fair fight, we’ll assume you’re pick-

ing both a meal kit company and a restaurant committed to

environmental and social responsibility in terms of sourcing

and operations. So it comes down to packaging. The degree to

which you can recycle all the plastic sub-components of meal

kits varies widely, and my experience is that most of it winds

up in the trash. The gel packs and insulation usually can’t be

recycled at all. Then there’s all the cardboard, which takes a lot

of resources to produce. So, the restaurant wins for sustainability—

if you actually eat your leftovers, that is, to avoid food waste.

WINNER: It’s a tie

ROUND 2: MEAL KIT VS. TAKEOUT

The breakdown regarding healthy eating for takeout is the

same as for restaurant eating—i.e., the meal kit will likely have

better portions, better food, and better preparation.

Environmentally, it comes down to comparing packaging

and delivery modes. Depending on whether you’re driving to

pick up your takeout or

getting it by some other

means, or if you’re using a

delivery app like GrubHub

or Caviar, both takeout

and meal kit poten-

tially involve vehicles

traveling roughly the

same distance, but this

wouldn’t make much of

Stuff that Comes from Factories 215

Conscious Eater_03 PT_4th patches.indd 215 10/23/19 1:35 PM