Despite all the hype around mail-order meal kits, 93% surveyed said they currently don't subscribe to any mail-order meal kit service, and 23% once subscribed to meal kits but no longer do. Overall, the Top 3 key frustrations consumers have with mail-order meal kits include they are too expensive (66%), the portion sizes are too small for their family (41%) and the hassle of having to manage the subscription every week (41%). Additionally, when it comes to meal kits that serve four people, 51% only want to spend $15-20 for the meal, and 65% say they are only willing to spend 30 minutes or less preparing the meal.

Making dinner is a part-time job
It's no secret that kids are picky eaters, and 61% say it's their top frustration when it comes to feeding their children. And, 63% with picky eaters are preparing two or more meals every night for dinner. Overall, 59% of parents say they don't plan meals in advance, and it's likely because 58% say they regularly prepare more than one meal for their family every night. In fact, 23% admit to preparing three or more meals every night in order to meet the needs of their family members.

Pasta, it's what's for dinner
Parents tune in to what dinners sound most appealing to them and what the whole family loves. When asked to select which three types of meals sound most appealing to prepare for their family, the No. 1 response was pasta (46%) followed by tacos (45%), chicken (41%), pizza (40%) and burgers (35%).

When it comes to preparing a favorite dinner that everyone in the family loves, respondents also ranked pasta dishes in the top position with spaghetti and meatballs being the most popular pasta dish, followed by lasagna and macaroni and cheese. Chicken ranked second, with dishes like chicken alfredo and fried chicken getting mentioned. Tacos ranked third, with other Mexican dishes like enchiladas, nachos and burrito bowls also getting call outs.

Quality vs. kids vs. price
When asked to select their Top 3 frustrations with grocery shopping, 67% of those surveyed noted that the price of products ranked No. 1. However, shoppers are willing to compromise price for quality, with the Top 5 items they are willing to pay more for including organic vegetables (38%), organic fruit (37%), anything their kids eat (34%), grass-fed/responsibly raised meat (33%) and coffee (27%).

Men are upping their game in the grocery store and in the kitchen
It turns out men are more conscientious about grocery shopping and meal planning than society may realize. Men (19%) are more likely than women (12%) to put together a grocery list based on weekly sales. Additionally, 49% of men plan their family's weekly meals in advance, as opposed to 33% of women. Men may also slightly better targets for meal kits, as only 58% are concerned with the expense (as opposed to 75% of women).

Are Millennials the new grocery trend setters?
Millennials (14%) are nearly three times as likely than Gen X (5%) to buy from a community-supported agriculture or produce delivery service, and more Millennials (30%) shop at specialty food stores than their Gen X (23%) counterparts. When it comes to meal kits, nearly 40% of all Millennials vs. 25% of Gen X have once subscribed to them, with 30% and 19% respectively no longer subscribing.

Survey methodology
Good Eggs conducted the survey sampling 821 consumers between April 7-April 8. The margin of error is +/- 3.35%.