Culinary & FoodserviceSunday, September 6, 2026
Prepared-meals retail shifts to five-minute chef-made and plant-based options
Retailers are expanding prepared-meals categories with single-serving chef-made meals ready in under five minutes and new plant-based SKUs including burgers and mac and cheese.
The numbers
- 5 minutes Blue Apron's single-serving chef-made meals are ready in 5 minutes or less.
- 60 seconds Loma Linda’s Hawaiian Bowl is a convenient meal solution ready in 60 seconds.
- 50 chefs Cook Unity plans to triple its roster of 50 chefs by mid-2022.
- 86% 86% of meals were sourced from the home over the past year.
- 65% 65% of Americans say prepared meals are a great way to try a new cuisine.