KR Kroger Co

The meal solutions company also shares insights on how home cooks ate this year

CHICAGO, Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As year's end approaches, Home Chef – the number one meal delivery service* – reflects on another year of delivering simple, delicious meals to households nationwide. Home Chef customers took their kitchen clout to new levels this past year – from expanding palates and diving deep into flavor fads to an increased interest in better-for-you, convenient choices. To sum up a year of growth and change, Home Chef's culinary and business leadership reflected on the year's customer insights and industry expertise to predict six pillars that will define how people will eat at home in 2025.

"The meal delivery industry isn't only impacted by what consumers are eating, but how they're planning and cooking for mealtime," said Erik Jensen, Home Chef CEO. "We expect 2025 to be a year we'll see demand continue to grow for ultra-convenient cooking routines and ingredient variation, with customers placing value at the center of meal decisions."

2025 HOME COOKING FORECAST

1. Low Effort, High Reward: Home cooks are firmly on the other side of pandemic-induced feasts of complex recipes that take hours, and instead are redefining what "convenient" means at mealtime. Not only do consumers crave fast meals but ones that also cut down on other mealtime demands like recipe planning, grocery shopping, and dishes.
   • Home Chef addresses the need for maximum convenience with new, simpler-than-ever 5-Ingredient Meals, One-Pot/One-Pan Recipes, Sheet Pan Meals, and 3-minute microwaveable meals from Tempo.
     
     
2. Value in View: As rising food costs impact all meal sources, customers are continuing to prioritize value when it comes to their mealtime routines. Meal delivery companies will need to provide competitive and innovative pricing structures to help customers' dollars go further.
   
   The meal delivery industry is well positioned to address this by helping customers reduce household food waste and providing affordable, memorable experiences around the table through exclusive partnerships.
   • Home Chef's Family Menu was designed for larger households that have value top of mind. The more you order, the more you save, with meals as low as $6.99 per serving.
   • Home Chef also brings added value to mealtime with limited-time, exclusive partnerships that offer free gifts with meal deliveries, access to special resources like kitchen hacks, and more!
     
     
3. Conscious Comfort: Though the demand for better-for-you meal options naturally invites ingredient and flavor innovation, many consumers are looking for familiar flavors. Home cooks want to feel that serotonin boost that comes from recognizing a beloved, comforting meal – and even better if they don't have to sacrifice their wellness goals to enjoy it.
   • Many of the nourishing, dietitian-approved meals on Tempo's growing menu lean into comforting classics, like Sunday Sauce Meatballs, BBQ Chicken with cornbread pudding, and Old Fashioned Chicken & Noodles with gravy.
     
     
4. Protein-Packed & Fiber-Filled: With more demand for wellness-minded meals, customers will seek sources of protein and fiber that are not only packed with those essential nutrients, but are delicious too. With the rise of GLP-1 medications, health-conscious consumers will look for foods tied to the body's natural production of GLP-1, which includes higher fiber, higher protein meals.
   
   This increase in demand is supported by recent insights from 84.51°, the market research division of The Kroger Co., which found that high-protein is the number one nutritional benefit for which consumers look while grocery shopping.**
   • The majority of the ready-to-heat meals on Tempo's menu are both protein-packed and fiber-rich to accommodate this rising priority.
     
     
5. Plenty of Fish in the Sea: Customers don't settle for just shrimp and salmon in their seafood rotation anymore. Many home cooks are exploring pescetarian options that were not previously as accessible or familiar, such as mahi mahi, petite scallops, and yellowtail.
   • Home Chef will include the above-mentioned seafood, plus others like barramundi and trout, in its menu development and recipe testing in 2025.
     
     
6. Spice It Up: Customers are going beyond the humble jalapeno to add heat and depth to their everyday cooking. Home cooks are getting more familiar with a variety of pepper-based condiments from across the globe, bringing new layers of heat and flavor to dinner.
   • Some examples of fiery flavor enhancers on Home Chef's menu include: sambal, piri piri, gochujang, amarillo, hatch green chiles, and more!

"Our culinary team is constantly evaluating feedback so we can provide menus our customers will love, week after week," said Nigel Palmer, executive R&D chef at Home Chef. "From adding new ingredients to our pantry to crafting recipes that balance familiarity with innovation, we're excited to incorporate customers' latest cravings into the fresh, flavorful meals we deliver to home cooks next year."

HOME CHEF'S 2024 "YEARBOOK"

While gathering insights from the past year, Home Chef also debriefed on the standout dishes and ingredients customers craved this year. To recap the year's eats, Home Chef published its first "Yearbook" – complete with scrumptious superlatives and reflections on the recipes that customers put on their "honor roll" this year.

Some of the foodie fun facts from 2024 include:

• Home Chef crafted more than 1,500 new recipes for Home Chef and Tempo menus
  
  • The most popular new addition: Shrimp Étouffée
• Home Chef launched 8 new culinary partnerships – from Dolly Parton to Bluey
• Hundreds of new ingredients were added to Home Chef's pantry, including beets, ghee, za'atar, harissa, yellowtail, and more
• Home Chef's most-ordered recipe + dessert combo was the Swiss-Crusted Chicken with Chocolate Lava Cake – between gooey cheese and molten chocolate, Home Chef customers like a little indulgence
• Californians ordered the most tacos, Floridians made the most meatloaf, and Montana got top marks in pizza. To find out which states led among other recipes, peek at our meal map.***

For more delicious data, take a look at the full "yearbook" HERE, and follow along with the year-end recap on Home Chef's Instagram. To try new and tried-and-true recipes, visit HomeChef.com for meal kits and TempoMeals.com for ready-to-heat meals.

* Newsweek's Readers' Choice Awards, 2024
**84.51° research, 2024
*** States featured were in the top 1-2% of orderers for each of noted recipe types in 2024

About Home Chef
Founded in 2013, Home Chef is the leading meal solutions company with both a retail and online presence. The meal delivery service is available via homechef.com and packaged meal solutions can be found at more than 2,400 stores in the Kroger Family of Companies. Home Chef is committed to bringing ease and convenience to home cooking through simple, delicious meals, so home cooks can enjoy their time at home, both in and out of the kitchen. The Chicago-based company was ranked #1 among meal delivery services by Newsweek (2024). Home Chef is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get cooking at homechef.com. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X for updates and inspiration.

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SOURCE Home Chef