Meal kits vs. pre-packaged meals: exploring young consumers’ perceptions of healthy meals

Le résumé fourni par la source

The rising demand for healthier meal solutions has fueled the popularity of ready-to-cook (RTC) meal kits and ready-to-eat (RTE) prepackaged meals, especially among young consumers. This research explores and experimentally compares young consumers’ perceptions of these two meal categories. A qualitative survey (Study 1) identified key factors shaping perceptions: meal-related attributes (ingredient quality, taste, variety, healthfulness), food acquisition process (convenience), and anticipated consequences (mental health impact, educational outcomes). An experiment (Study 2) revealed that RTC meal kits were perceived as superior in terms of variety, taste, and ingredient quality, without significantly compromising convenience. Another experiment (Study 3) further examined outcome-related perceptions, revealing that RTC meal kits were associated with more favorable mental health outcomes, driven by a stronger perceived connection to food – suggesting a meaningful link between active food preparation and well-being. RTC meal kits were also uniquely recognized for their potential to enhance cooking skill development, although they were not perceived to considerably improve broader nutritional knowledge. Overall, this research advances understanding of young consumers’ food perceptions and highlights the role of food acquisition methods in supporting mental well-being and food literacy.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.