Marketing Healthy Food: How to Make A Meal Kit Stand Out

 As millennials begin to create their own families eating at home is becoming more of a necessity. That means, they need to learn to cook, pretty much right now. And we all know about their commitment to being healthy. Enter the uber-easy, super-personal meal kit brands.  Marketing healthy food just became simple.The exact ingredients and recipes are so simple, even the most inexperienced cooks can handle a meal kit. Sales garnered more than $1 billion last year, and there’s no end in sight. And guess who’s driving this market, primarily older millennials, who discover brands and then share them on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and more. The big challenge right now is for brands to find a way to really stand out in this suddenly very crowded category.So what can a brand do to make a real impact? Be incredibly relevant, communicate in a very personal way, and stand for something these consumers care about deeply.  That's how marketing healthy food works.Here’s a look at the standout brands:Blue Apron (one of the pioneers in the category and one of the most popular) differentiates itself by being completely transparent on sourcing and tailoring its meals to your dietary preferences. This meal kit is very useful for cultured eaters like the foodies in places like Brooklyn who want one-of-a-kind eating experiences and food they can track all the way back to the seed. They even profile suppliers on their website, which in turn engages their consumers with other brands to create a dialogue.Sakara represents a lifestyle of love from the inside and out. The brand wants to make you look and feel sexy, and it even marries food with good style. The site includes a boutique for brand merchandise and items like snack bars, gifts, and e-guides. Sakara is all about eating and living clean because you want to, not because you have to. No prep or cooking needed (talk about convenience!) and it offers the highest-quality ingredients and super foods.

Green Blender is a completely organic brand for hard core juicers. Including the ones who don’t have the time to go through the laborious process of shopping, juicing and cleaning. If you don’t cook, or don’t have the time, you’ll enjoy making five different smoothies each week, up to two times a day! If you want to avoid cooking at all costs, this is the perfect lifestyle choice to make. All you have to do is blend the pre-portioned ingredients and you’re good to go.

Gobble is for the healthy person on the go who typically orders take out. They heavily advertise convenience, quick meal set up and the easy clean up aspect. Those factors makes this kit irresistible to the working parents, who have no time to prepare meals. Marketing healthy food is super easy when they’re 500-700 calories despite being “fast” food. All the prep work is done for you! This frees up your time for other things, which can be more valuable than the tag price.

 Honorable Mentions (Make sure you check these other diversified brands):

• Sun Basket -for the eco friendly consumer
• Marley Spoon -for the dieters on a budget
• Freshology -for the ones who need a nutritionist’s help