These 4 Meal Delivery Services Can Help Support The Nutritional Needs Of People 65+

If you're after variety, Sunbasket delivers. Not only does this meal delivery service have one of the most robust menus on the market, but you can also choose from meal kits or premade meals, depending on how you feel each week. There are breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, as well as individual proteins—like wild sea scallops and lemon-pepper chicken breasts—pastas with sauces, and snacks. New menus drop weekly, and when picking your meals, you can filter by dietary preference, calories, and/or preparation time. 

Meal kits are available in two- or four-serving boxes, and you can choose from a minimum of two meals weekly to a maximum of five. Premade meals are single-serve, and you can order four to 10 meals per week. If you choose a meal kit, most meals are ready in 15 to 40 minutes. Reheat premade meals in the microwave in as little as four minutes.

Example Meal:

-Blueberry BBQ Chicken With Warm Dijon-Horseradish Potato Salad (meal kit)

-Peruvian Fried Rice With Duck Confit, Poblano, and Pineapple (premade meal)

Sustainability & Quality: Sunbasket uses organic fresh produce, milk, yogurt, eggs, and tofu when available. All meats are antibiotic- and hormone-free with additional options for organic meats and poultry available. Sunbasket is also committed to sustainability; all packaging is recyclable, reusable, or compostable with most components made from recycled materials.

Price: From $10 per serving

Older adults who prefer to cook their meals rather than having them arrive premade will love Home Chef. The meal kit service makes the entire order process extremely easy: When signing up, you can choose between the traditional plan or the Fresh and Easy option, which includes low- or no-prep recipes. You can also indicate any dietary preferences, like low-carb or calorie-conscious, as well as any specific foods that you want to avoid, including many major allergens.

New menus drop each week, and you can choose from grill-ready meals, 15-minute meal kits, and/or the Culinary Collection, which includes fancier meals that take longer to prepare but make you feel like a pro in the kitchen. When building your box, you specify how many people you're cooking for (2, 4, or 6) and how many meals you want each week (2 to 6). Once that's done, your box will arrive on your doorstep with preportioned ingredients and recipe cards to make it easy to prepare your meals.

Example Meal:

-Salmon and Hot Honey Butter

-Queso Fundido Burger

Sustainability & Quality: Home Chef doesn't have a fully organic menu, but the company does use organic ingredients whenever possible. However, the company prioritizes local ingredients and considers seasonality. There are also "swap it" options that allow you to upgrade to organic chicken for some of the meals. Most of Home Chef's packaging is recyclable (what isn't is reusable and nontoxic) and made with recycled materials.

Price: From $9 per serving

Magic Kitchen offers nutritionally balanced meals for older adults, plus several options for various dietary considerations like low-sodium, low-carb, low-fat, renal diet, and diabetic-friendly. When choosing your meals, you have two options: a la carte or complete meals. The a la carte option lets you mix and match main courses, soups, side dishes, and desserts, while the complete meals come ready to heat with one main course and one or two sides packaged together. 

The company also offers what it calls a flex subscription—you purchase three or six months of meals and then build your menus from there. The process itself is straightforward; you can filter by your dietary preferences and needs, as well as the meal type (breakfast, lunch/dinner, snacks, and desserts). You can also choose between single or multiple servings recipes. All meals are handmade by chefs in small batches and then flash-frozen to preserve quality and flavor. 

Example Meal:

-Baked Tilapia, Brown Rice, and Minted Carrots

-Beef & Broccoli over Noodles with Vegetables

Sustainability & Quality: While not fully organic, Magic Kitchen does use organic produce whenever possible and is committed to antibiotic-, pesticide-, and hormone-free ingredients. All packaging is environmentally friendly, and while you can't recycle some things, like the coolers the meals ship in, they are reusable. Magic Kitchen recommends donating them to Meals on Wheels, if possible.

Price: From $12 per serving

Mom's Meals was developed as a way to serve Medicare and Medicaid members, but you can pay out of pocket, too. The meal delivery service offers menus designed by dietitians and chefs who work together to ensure there are plenty of meals tailored to the specific nutrition needs and dietary restrictions of older adults.

Menus vary by state, program type, and any health conditions (Mom's Meals has options for those with ​​diabetes, kidney problems, cancer, and heart disease), but the basics are the same: Meals arrive on your doorstep each week, precooked and ready to heat. They are vacuum-sealed and will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to 14 days. If you're paying through Medicare or Medicaid, you can place your order by phone. If you're paying out-of-pocket, Mom's Meals offers an online checkout process.

Example Meal:

-Chicken and Waffle and Peach Crisp

-Three Cheese Ravioli with Garlic Basil Butter Sauce

Sustainability & Quality: Mom's Meals doesn't offer a lot of information about food quality and sustainability practices, but there are some highlights: All kitchens are inspected for quality and safety by the USDA and certified safe. The company makes its own packaging, which allows food to keep in the refrigerator for up to 14 days (most other premade meals last five at most).

Price: Varies based on plan and area