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By Lindsay Boyers

Sunbasket is a certified organic company that uses organic produce, milk, yogurt, eggs, and tofu 99% of the time. All meats and seafood are antibiotic- and hormone-free, and you can choose organic, free-range, and pasture-raised meats and poultry. Transparency is important, too; if Sunbasket ever has to use a non-organic ingredient, the company will give you a heads up before making the swap.

These high-quality ingredients are the foundation for Sunbasket’s weekly menu, which features around 20 meal kit options every week. When you sign up, you can select from 10 menu filters, such as paleo, vegetarian, carb-conscious, gluten-free, Mediterranean, and diabetes-friendly. If your dietary needs ever evolve, you can simply adjust the filters to suit your preferences before placing the next order.

While the pre-made meals are perfectly portioned for one, you can choose 2- or 4- person meal kits with up to five dinners per week (aka enough for leftovers).

Example Meal:

–Mediterranean turkey meatballs with chard and red pepper-cashew crema

-Roast chicken with harissa-spiced veggies, cauli mash, and almonds

Sustainability & Quality: All of Sunbasket’s packaging is reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable (and much of that packaging is made from recycled materials to begin with). It also has high animal welfare standards and works closely with suppliers—ranchers, farmers, and fisherman—to ensure these standards are always met.

Blue Apron is one of the most popular meal kit services for a reason. In addition to offering a robust menu that caters to a handful of dietary preferences, including low-carb and vegetarian, the company uses USDA certified organic ingredients when possible and always supports farmers with sustainable practices. Every ingredient in Blue Apron’s meals is non-GMO; and to take it a step further, the company requires suppliers to certify that products and ingredients are free from genetic engineering.

While Blue Apron started with meal kits, more recently, the company introduced pre-made meals, too. When you sign up for your meal plan, you can decide which type of meal you want from the regularly changing menu with all orders available in two or four servings.

If you love food variety—hey, we’re here for the biodiversity—you can also look at the next week’s menu well in advance to plan your meal selects accordingly.

Example Meal:

-Roasted broccoli and fregola sarda

-Cheesy truffle steak tip sandwiches

Sustainability & Quality: Blue Apron packages many of its ingredients in hard plastic containers that you can throw in your recycling bin, but some of the plastic bags and films must be dropped off at the nearest recycling center that accepts them. All boxes and inserts are curbside recyclable.

Fresh n’ Lean offers gluten-free, prepared meals that are sourced with locally grown, organic ingredients. While the company isn’t 100% organic, everything is GMO-free and all meats are the highest quality available—you’ll get grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, and sustainable fish in your meals.

When building your plan, you can include breakfasts, lunches, and/or dinners and opt for five or seven meals per week. Fresh n’ Lean has a regularly changing menu with more than 100 meals to choose from each week, all of which are gluten-free (and many of which are also dairy- and soy-free). 

Example Meal:

–Grass-fed steak in a honey dijon sauce with rice and roasted vegetables

-Tomatillo shrimp fajita with white rice and black beans

Sustainability & Quality: Fresh n’ Lean packs meals in recyclable trays with recyclable plastic wrap. While the insulation used isn’t recyclable, it is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

Veestro is a vegan pre-made meal delivery service that sticks to 96% organic ingredients in all of its meals—one of the highest percentages of any meal delivery service. Another perk? Meals are also preservative-free with more than 55 recipes on the menu.

We love that the ordering process is super straightforward: You simply sign up for a meal plan (10, 20, or 30 meals) and choose your preferences from the regularly changing menu.

Along with entrées, you’ll find a small select of breakfast items—all of which you can filter by dietary preferences, such as high-protein, gluten-free, and/or low-calorie. Further streamline the decision-making process by opting for the weight loss-specific plan, which caps out at 1,200 calories per day. Just remember the food that you’re eating is more important than the calories you’re consuming when crafting your optimal diet—so you may need to add a few snacks to hit your daily nutrient goals.

Example Meal:

–Farro ragout

-Tuscan calzone

Sustainability & Quality: All of Veestro’s meals are packaged in 100% recyclable carton trays or BPA-free plastic pouches. The insulation used is also starch-based, so it can be dissolved in water, rather than thrown away.

While not all of Green Chef’s ingredients are organic, the meal kit company does its best to use the highest quality food possible. All produce and eggs are certified organic, and animal-based proteins are sourced only from farmers who follow high animal welfare standards. Produce is also seasonally sourced, which maximizes the nutritional benefit.

The brand’s biggest selling point is the option to choose a 6-person meal kit; many others max out at four. If you have fewer mouths to feed, you can always opt for smaller 2- or 4-person plans. No matter which size plan you need, you can choose three or four meals per week.

Example Meal:

-Baja Shrimp and bacon salad and Italian barramundi

-Red pepper gremolata

Sustainability & Quality: In addition to offering organic foods, Green Chef prides itself on supporting local farmers, family farms, and craft economies. Most packaging is made from recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable materials, with the exception of the plastic used to vacuum seal some of the ingredients.

Trifecta is all about the organic ingredients. The company, which delivers pre-made meals, uses the highest quality ingredients possible and sources as much as it can from local, family-run farms. The meats used in Trifecta meals are humanely raised and grass-fed or pasture-raised, and all fish is wild-caught. 

There are several meal plans to choose from, including paleo, keto, and vegan options, and all meals are made in gluten-free, peanut-free kitchens. You can opt for complete meals that come with a main protein and sides, or choose a bulk meal prep option, where you can build your own meals with different proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables. You have control over quantities too; sign up to receive meals five or seven days a week and choose any combination of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or a third entree.

Example Meal:

–Salmon and wild rice

-Chicken pesto pasta

Sustainability & Quality: Sustainability is important to Trifecta, too. The company is always working toward ways to become greener, but currently uses mostly recyclable and/or biodegradable materials. Its motto is to help people eat well while doing as little harm to the environment as possible.

While some organic meal delivery services offer breakfast, choices are fairly limited—even though it’s a great way to front-load your day with nutrients. Daily Harvest started as a health-focused breakfast (or smoothie, really) service and has morphed into a plant-based brand that also offers light lunch and dinner fare, including soups, harvest bowls, and flatbreads. But don’t get it twisted; breakfast is still very much the star of the show. The company offers two dozen ready-to-blend smoothies and various oat, chia, and other grain-free bowls. 

Most of Daily Harvest’s ingredients are organic and the company prioritizes organically sourcing anything on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list. In the spirit of transparency, you can view the full list of ingredients for each meal to see which ones are organic.

Ordering is also simple. Sign up for a small, medium, or large plan and then mix and match your meals however you want. Just pay close attention to your cart, as prices vary per item.

Pro tip: Daily Harvest also messages the day your order processes, allowing plenty of time for cancellation. This makes the brand a great pick for anyone who struggles to keep up with their subscriptions.

Example Meal:

–Mint and cacao smoothie

-Mulberry and dragon fruit oat bowl

Sustainability & Quality: Daily Harvest makes it a point to use recyclable and eco-friendly materials. The cardboard box, cups, and insulation are all recyclable. Bowls are made of pulp and can be recycled or thrown into the compost bin. Daily Harvest also has a dedicated recycling page for more information on how to handle its packaging.

Check out our full review of Daily Harvest.