Rated: Pre-packaged meals, kits put to the test

They’re convenient — but are they any good? We’ve put meal kits and pre-packaged dishes to the test, with a leading dietitian revealing what to watch out for when it comes to your health.

Dietitian Jemma O'Hanlon. Picture: Jay Town

Pre-packaged meals may be convenient to throw in the microwave after a long day at work.

But those looking for a quick and easy meal need to beware of sodium and additives, according to a leading dietitian.

News Corp Australia has sampled a number of the country’s most popular pre-packaged meals.

Advanced accredited practising dietitian and nutritionist Jemma O’Hanlon said while ready meals could be great when you’re on the go, they could be high in salt.

It is recommended that adults have no more than 2000mg of sodium each day.

One Youfoodz meal we ate — a cheese and spinach lasagne in napoli sauce — included almost the entire day’s intake, with 1950mg per serving.

Ms O’Hanlon said people should also keep an eye on vegetable content, aiming for two serves or more per meal.

“Ideally look for an ingredients list that contains foods and ingredients that you know and trust,” she said.

Relying on pre-packaged meals could also mean not developing cooking skills, Ms O’Hanlon said.

Meal kits – where you receive a box of ingredients accompanied by recipe cards and make the dishes yourself – are also a popular option.

Finder research revealed in September 2023, 12 per cent of Australians reported using a meal kit delivery service regularly, spending an average of $107 a week.

Ms O’Hanlon said the approach, where ingredients in the correct quantities are delivered, could help reduce household waste.

She warned portions could be quite large, but people could save leftovers for the next day.

She advised people could add extra vegetables to enhance nutritional value.

Ms O’Hanlon said meals kits and pre-packaged options could be cost effective — but not always.

“Often when we buy these in bulk, we can get a good discount, that’s really the key if you are looking for a reduced price,” she said.

“However, it doesn’t really ever compare to cooking meals from scratch with wholesome ingredients.

“You don’t have to spend a fortune to eat healthily and eat well.

“I would always recommend cooking at home from scratch.”

Lite n’ Easy (pre-packaged)

A more prescriptive style of pre-packaged meals – if you want to have all your meals and snacks laid out for you, it is a good tactic.

In terms of sheer packaging, this took up a lot of fridge space!

A Lite n' Easy meal.

I liked the snacks, like fruit and yoghurt, but found myself mixing and matching, rather than following the designated meal plan.

Our favourite dishes included a vegetarian tortilla stack and spaghetti bolognese.

Lite n’ Easy offers multiple options, including high-protein options for seniors with reduced appetite and weight loss plans.

Its website has an easy system where it will suggest the appropriate plan for you.

Cost: Varies depending on the length and time you go for. The “Jump Start GO Lite meal plan” included breakfast smoothies, five lunches, five dinners and snacks for $134.95 per week.

Taste rating: 3.1/5

The Dinner Ladies (pre-packaged)

Home style cooking with really hearty meals – bestsellers include curries, lasagnes and pies.

Since the experiment I have ordered more from The Dinner Ladies to stock in the freezer for when I’m flat chat.

The Dinner Ladies chicken pie.

Our favourites included a chicken pie and vegetarian lasagne.

The meals were easy to heat up in the oven or microwave and tasted home-cooked.

Cost: Prices vary between meals – for example a smoked chicken pasta al forno for two is $21 but lamb koftas with minted yoghurt for two is $20. Some dishes can be bought in larger portions — like for three or four — too.

Taste rating: 4/5

Dineamic (pre-packaged)

Dineamic had a great range of interesting meals, particularly for the health conscious.

You can order a variety of “bundles” suited to different requirements, including low FODMAP, vegetarian, high-protein or Mediterranean diet.

However I found the packaging – designed to be sustainable – made them more difficult to open than other brands.

The company says the packaging uses less 92 per cent less plastic than a regular ready-meal tray.

Dineamic vegetable curry. Picture: Tamara McDonald

A chilli con carne was the favourite dish in my household from Dineamic, while a roast chicken pad thai was also a hit.

Cost: From $11 per meal. It also has meals that can be prepared and shared between two which cost $16 – so $8 per serve.

Taste rating:3.6/5

Youfoodz (pre-packaged)

With slick packaging, Youfoodz is one of the most ubiquitous ready-made meals — they’re widely available in supermarkets as well as online.

The cheese and spinach lasagne from Youfoodz.

While we liked the meals, they were often on the salty side taste wise.

Our favourite meals included chickpea curry, lasagne and Portuguese chicken.

People can choose from a range of different types of meals, including “calorie smart” and high-protein.

Cost: Between $9.30 and $10.99 per meal usually. The price lowers the more you order.

Taste rating: 3.8/5

HelloFresh (meal kit)

HelloFresh provides meal kits, with plenty of choice.

Mushroom pasta from Hello Fresh.

Their meals were quick and easy to make – a mushroom pasta only needed one pot, and it’s always a bonus to have less washing up.

If you’re time poor and don’t want to hunt for recipes but crave variety and still want to cook, HelloFresh is a good option.

A smoky beef and caramelised onion pie was the biggest hit in our house.

Cost: Price per servings range from $8 per serving for a six people, five meal plan to $14.50 per serving for two people and two meals per week, according to HelloFresh.

Taste rating: 3.6/5

EveryPlate (meal kit)

EveryPlate markets itself as a simple and affordable meal kit option.

Its range is less extensive than its competitors but it still has varied choice.

An Every Plate meal of halloumi and roast vegetables. Picture: Tamara McDonald

The meals were tasty — for us they were tied with HelloFresh — and very fuss-free to make.

My favourite meal included roast vegies and halloumi.

EveryPlate offers classic, vegetarian, flexitarian and family meal plans.

Cost: Our basic three meals for two people box was valued at $54.99 – so about $9.16 per meal. However, there is a six meals for six people deal — so 36 servings — for $160, equalling only $4.44 per serve.

Taste rating: 3.6/5

Chicken tendies and fries with creamy slaw from Every Plate.

Final verdict

Has this experiment converted me permanently to ready made meals or kits?

No.

While they were convenient, and all of them were very consumer friendly when it came to nutrition information, I prefer to feel totally in control of what I’m putting into my cooking.

If I’m planning effectively, I doubt I would save money using pre-packaged options.

I tend to do a weekly shop on a Saturday and then meal prep dinners, and often lunches, for the week.

If I was going through a time where this wasn’t an option though, it’s good to know these options are on the table.

They are undeniably a time saver when it comes to getting to the supermarket, figuring out what to make and then actually spending time in the kitchen.

And if you’re savvy about it and have a large family, I can certainly see like an option like EveryPlate would appeal.

Many companies offer heavy discounts on initial boxes, so if you’re planning on trying them you can capitalise on these.

Meals were provided for trial by the companies

Originally published as Rated: Pre-packaged meals, kits put to the test