How We Research, Test and Review Meal Delivery Services

Here’s how we vet and test meal delivery services

1. Research the marketplace. To begin, we look into which meal delivery services are on the market. We also ask experts, such as registered dietitians, questions like: Which companies are popular and why? What are the best types of meal delivery services for older adults? Which products have rave reviews — and are these reviews legitimate? We then decide which options to consider for our roundups and reviews of the best meal delivery services.
2. Recruit testers ages 50-plus to test and rate each service. Next, we recruit testers ages 50 and older. Once recruited, testers sign up for services via the company’s website or user portal and assess features such as ease of sign-up, order customization and delivery options. For testers who will come to our test kitchen, our lab team goes through the ordering process and records the experience. Testers who evaluate meal delivery services in their homes place their own orders for shipping to their addresses. After orders are received, all testers prepare or reheat meals — depending on the type of service — and taste meals. Testers then provide unbiased feedback on a variety of measures and share their impressions of the food's taste and quality. Note: See the section below on metrics for more information about this assessment process. 
3. Explore the customer service experience. To close out our evaluation process, we contact the companies offering these services to confirm whether customers can get help when needed, whether shipping updates are easy and other key information.
   

Tester Donna unboxed and prepared the product from this meal delivery service at her home, illustrating how we recruit older adult testers to directly use and evaluate these offerings.

Courtesy of AARP Smart Picks™

Products that perform well on these metrics make it onto our lists of the best meal delivery services:

Sign-up and ordering process

• Testers or members of our lab team start by signing up for the service. They then rate how easy it is to sign up and specify their food preferences and dietary needs. Our lab team completes these sign-up and ordering steps for testers who will do their evaluations in our test kitchen. Our testers from the Ethel community complete these steps for themselves and share feedback.
• After sign-up, testers or members of our lab team assess whether they can filter the service’s recipes by these preferences and needs. For instance, could they change their protein option or swap a side? Testers or lab team members rate the ability to customize their orders on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 as the highest score.
• They also note how well a company’s meal recommendations align with what they are looking for in these metrics. This step is important because several participants in our focus group reported difficulty finding a meal delivery service that could accommodate dietary restrictions, such as a low-sodium diet. Once testers or lab team members make their selections, they place an order. 
• Testers or members of our lab team then rate the ordering experience with a given meal delivery service on a 1 to 5 scale.

Pricing

• We consider a company’s pricing structure and review pricing based on the lowest starting price per serving for dinner. In many instances, the final price you pay for meal delivery depends on how many meals you select and whether your order includes any add-ons, such as desserts or extra sides. We also compare pricing across meal delivery services to help determine value. For instance, if a service is the most affordably priced per serving but doesn’t provide the flexibility with customization that you desire, is this service offering the best value? 
• Since meal delivery companies often offer free meals or discounted rates when customers sign up, our testers or lab team members also record any available offers and note whether it’s easy to save money.

Shipping and delivery

• This process is one of the most important factors for evaluating meal delivery services, as the food inside is perishable. To assess this process, testers or lab team members first review the shipping and delivery information provided by the company. For instance, do they receive emails that give tracking information or other updates on their order status? If an order is delayed, do they receive an email or text notification?
• Testers or lab team members also rate how easy it is to communicate with the company and its agents. If a delay occurs, is it easy to contact the company or the delivery driver? If someone needs to update their delivery day, is that change easy to make?
• Testers who have meals delivered to their homes also note whether a package is delivered within the timeline provided by the service. If a product is ordered for use in the test kitchen, our lab team takes notes on the same metrics that would apply for meals shipped directly to someone’s home. Once packages are delivered, all testers — both those in the lab and at home — open the boxes. They then evaluate the insulation of the items inside each box and note each box’s condition, including its appearance and whether there are dents, tears or leaks. Testers also record whether the packaged ingredients are separated into different bags, as this separation can make it easier to organize ingredients for multiple meals, if applicable.

An example of direct feedback we received during the testing process was when tester Will said the recipe card for the meal delivery service he evaluated was easy to read, with a large picture and clearly laid out ingredients.

Courtesy of AARP Smart Picks

Tester Sharon is pictured here finishing the preparation of the kit from her meal delivery service. As part of her feedback, she gave this meal a perfect score for serving size, using the 1 out of 5 scale, as she said the three tacos would be just enough for a single serving for the average person.

Courtesy of AARP Smart Picks

Instructions and food prep

• At this stage, testers review the instructions provided with each meal. If the service provides a meal kit with fresh produce and other ingredients, testers then cook the meals as instructed and give each company a score of 1 to 5 (with 5 still being the highest) for how easy the meal is to prepare. If evaluating a prepared meal, testers follow instructions on best practices when reheating.
• When testing meal kits that require cooking during this preparation stage, testers note how much chopping or standing a recipe requires. They also note how long it takes them to prepare each meal — and then compare the actual prep time with the estimated cook time on the recipe card. Of course, these steps may not apply to prepared meals that just require reheating. 
• To assess a company’s prep score, our testers rate the quality of the instructions for meal kits and prepared meals. For example, are the cooking or reheating instructions easy to read and understand? When relevant, do instructions include pictures to help explain the steps? For meal kits, does the recipe call for a unique utensil that the average person may not have on hand? In addition to assigning a 1 to 5 score, our testers share their feedback on what they do or do not like about the recipe card or other food prep instructions.

Taste

• After our testers cook each meal, they rate their impression of its taste and texture on a 1 to 5 scale. They also share their overall impressions of each meal as well as the quality of each company’s produce and ingredients.
• Testers also rate the meal's portion size on a 1 to 5 scale to give us an idea of its perceived value. 

The meal delivery services that perform well on these assessments make it onto our AARP Smart Picks lists for older adults. Have questions or feedback about our process? Email us at AARPSmartPicks@aarp.org.