4 Reasons to Try a Local Meal Prep Service

Need additional motivation? BCLiving readers receive three free meals, courtesy of Fresh Prep

I’ll admit I was intrigued by the idea of meal prep services; the convenience of choosing next week’s meals from a curated list of healthy recipes, having the exact ingredients appear at my door, and cutting out tired, weekday evening trips to the grocery store — yes, please! But with nearly half a dozen companies to choose from, I felt I needed to do a little more research before deciding which service to try.

After careful consideration, I went with Fresh Prep, a Vancouver-based meal prep delivery service that’s been in the game since 2014. Why Fresh Prep? Price was certainly a factor (their meals start at $9 per plate), but I also wanted a variety of menu options (I try to eat plant-based meals frequently and unlike the others, they have more than just vegetarian or meat-focused recipes) and I wanted my choice to have a small carbon footprint, meaning it was as local as possible. Here are the four reasons why Fresh Prep really stood out.

Here are the four reasons why Fresh Prep really stood out….

1. Local company

Sure, there are options when it comes to meal prep delivery services now, but if dealing with a local company is important to you (they operate in our time zone, are familiar with our neighbourhoods and all that good stuff), Fresh Prep is the only option based in Vancouver. In fact, Fresh Prep was started by three friends who grew up here. Perhaps this is why, unlike most of their competitors, they offer delivery from Squamish down to Victoria—a very happy recent addition to their delivery zone—and all the way out to Chilliwack. Bonus: you don’t actually need to be home to accept your meal kit delivery, I buzzed my driver into my building and he left my cooler bag at my apartment door.

2. Buying and supporting local

Not only is Fresh Prep based in Vancouver, but they source their ingredients locally and attempt to provide organic options wherever possible. They are highly committed to the quality and freshness of the ingredients they provide to their customers. Also, they only work with purveyors whose standards support sustainable practices, which is a value that’s become increasingly important to me over the years.

3. Delivered locally

Fresh Prep employs a fleet of local drivers to deliver their meal kits straight to their customers’ homes and offices. The other meal prep services rely on third party companies to make their deliveries, which means your food is spending extra time at the post office or courier warehouse (no, thanks).

4. Commitment to sustainability

While recycling is incredibly important, the principles behind reducing and reusing go a lot further when it comes to limiting environmental impact. Rather than sending their meal kits in a cardboard box each week, Fresh Prep uses insulated cooler bags that can be exchanged every time your driver makes a new delivery. The plastic packaging they use can be rinsed and sent back each week for recycling, and best of all, there’s no food waste—you only receive exactly what you need to create your next meal.

Fresh Prep also impressed me with their well-crafted recipes, high quality ingredients and very competitive price point, but what ultimately set them apart was their commitment to local sustainability. After comparing all of the available meal prep services, Fresh Prep genuinely stood out, offering the convenience of a meal prep delivery service with a local edge that appealed to my environmental commitments—and everything tasted great too!

Want to try Fresh Prep out for yourself? BCLiving readers can get their first three meals free with code SCBCL18. To see the upcoming menu choices and learn more, visit Fresh Prep online today.

CREATED BY BCLIVING, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FRESH PREP