Cooking and all the prep involved can be time-consuming and a bit of a hassle. Meal kit deliveries can solve some of the issues about cooking and are also awesome if you want to try a new meal without having to buy whole bottles of exotic sauces and jars of spices you’ll never use again.
But are meal kit deliveries affordable? How do they compare to a grocery shop for the same ingredients? In this article, we focus on Good Food, especially the question
Is Good Food cheaper than groceries?
Yes, Good Food is cheaper than groceries in many cases. No, in others. It depends a lot on the plan and the meals you choose.
Keep reading to find out who can save by using Good Food and who might not save quite as much.
What Is Good Food And What Does It Offer?
Good Food is one of Canada’s most popular meal kit delivery service. Customers can choose from a variety of different meals each week.
While most of the dishes are aimed at meat eaters, there are enough vegetarian meals to fill a box and some vegan meals (most vegetarian ones can also be adjusted to vegan).
The plan can easily be paused and canceled at any time, and you can plan your meals up to 12 weeks in advance (or let the company choose for you, according to your preferences).
How Much Does Good Food Cost?
Good Food’s pricing plans are slightly more complex than other meal kit deliveries. You have to choose from three different main plans and then decide on how many meals for how many people you want each week.
The plans and their costs are as follows.
Easy Prep Basket Plan
If you choose this, you can choose from easy prep meals and the meals included in the classic meal plan.
| Meals | Cost per serving for 2 people | Cost per serving for 4 people |
| 2 | n/a | $14.49 |
| 3 | $15.49 | $13.49 |
| 4 | $14.49 | $12.24 |
Classic Basket Plan
With this plan, you can choose from all the classic meals on the menu.
| Meals | Cost per serving for 2 people | Cost per serving for 4 people |
| 2 | n/a | $13.49 |
| 3 | $14.49 | $12.49 |
| 4 | $13.49 | $11.24 |
Family Basket
This plan is aimed at families and focuses on meals the whole family should love.
| Meals | Cost per serving for 2 people | Cost per serving for 4 people |
| 2 | n/a | $12.99 |
| 3 | n/a | $11.99 |
| 4 | n/a | $10.74 |
This means the most expensive cost per portion is $15.49, and the cheapest cost is $10.74.
How Much Would It Cost To Buy Good Food Ingredients In A Grocery Store?
One of Good Food’s popular meals is the fried pork katsu bowl. I am using this meal to compare how much shopping for the ingredients in a grocery store would cost compared to getting them delivered.
For two servings, Good Food’s delivery includes
- 2 pork chops
- 150g shredded green cabbage
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 scallion
- 2 cucumbers
- 160g Jasmine rice
- 40g Panko
- 30ml rice vinegar
- 30ml mayonnaise
- 60ml Wafu sauce
- 12g Mellow sesame spices (a mix of brown sugar, sea salt, white sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, and black pepper)
If you plan to get these from a grocery store, you’d spend the following (on average, not assuming anything’s on special)
- $4 for 2 pork chops
- $4 for cabbage to shred yourself
- $0.30 for one garlic
- $2 for a bunch of scallions
- $4 for 2 cucumbers
- $3 for a pack of Jasmine rice
- $7.50 for a packet of Panko
- $2.50 for a bottle of rice vinegar
- $3.50 for a small bottle of mayonnaise
- $8 for a bottle of Wafu sauce
- $5 for a home-made Mellow sesame spice mix
That’s a total of $43.80 for two servings, which means one serving costs $21.90. Even compared to the most expensive Good Food meal plan, the grocery shop would set you back a lot more, and you might not find some of the more exotic ingredients in your local store (e.g., Wafu sauce).
Of course, Good Food meal kits that include less exotic ingredients would cost less in a grocery store, but even without the Wafu sauce and Panko, this meal would cost $28.30, i.e., $14.15 per portion, which is pretty much on par with Good Food’s price list.
Vegetarian and vegan meals would also cost less, but overall, Good Food and the prices of ingredients in a grocery store do not differ much. Also, consider the following:
Other Savings If You Use Good Food
Do you need a whole packet of Panko or a bottle of Wafu sauce? Or will you end up binning it at some stage? That’s right; food waste is a waste of money. If you use Good Food, you will only receive what you need to cook those meals. This will also keep you from hoarding stuff in your cupboards.
In addition, getting to the grocery store costs money (or a lot of time) for most people, at least. You will spend money on petrol, taxis, Uber, or tickets for public transport. That is not necessary when you get Good Food meal kits.
The most important saving for many is time. No standing in line, navigating to and through the grocery store, packing your bags, unpacking your bags, and so on. You save an immense amount of time when using Good Food or other meal kit delivery services.
Who Is Good Food Suitable For?
Good Food meal kits are best for meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans who don’t mind substituting some ingredients to make the meal vegan (e.g., dairy cream can be swapped for a non-dairy version).
With a plan specifically tailored for families, this is also one of the better meal kit services for families.
The only people who need to be more careful are those with severe food allergies, as all meal kits are packed and prepared in the facilities, so cross-contamination is a possibility.
Are Good Food Meal Kits Healthy And Filling?
Good Food meals are pretty balanced, with some being healthier than others (if you look for healthy options, you can’t go wrong with most vegetarian meals unless it’s a cheese-based dish).
Each meal has an ingredient list and nutritional information, so it’s easy to make a well-informed decision.
The meals are big enough for an average adult but might be too much for a child. Very active adults, like athletes, might find the meals a little too small. In a family, that’s easy enough: the active adult can have a little more than the child.
Final Thoughts
Good Food is a great alternative to doing your own grocery shopping.
Not each meal might come with big savings, but overall you won’t be spending more than if you shopped in a grocery store. Also, don’t forget that saving a lot of time is priceless.
Read my related meal kit cost guides: