The coronavirus pandemic has been a boon for the meal delivery business, with U.S. customers spending about $100 million on meal kits between mid-March and mid-April nationally, according to Nielsen data. The increase in demand has also been good for a Maryland company that delivers freshly prepared meals.
Hyattsville-based Healthy Fresh Meals, founded in 2016 and delivering in the DMV, has expanded its distribution area to include Baltimore and Annapolis, as well as Prince William County, in Virginia.
Owner Shana Greenbaum said demand for Healthy Fresh’s ready-to-eat, chef-prepared meals has increased by more than 40% since the beginning of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
Healthy Fresh has also seen an increase in orders over the past three months from seniors and the children of elderly parents.
Healthy Fresh Meals’ menu rotates weekly. Single-serving main entrees range from about $11 to $16 and come in tamper-proof packaging. There are low-carb options, “athlete meals” and larger, family-sized portions.
The company uses its own drivers for deliveries, which are made on Sundays.
Healthy Fresh Meals also serves office buildings, schools and gyms, a revenue stream that has been sidelined by the pandemic. It expects to resume those deliveries as restrictions are lifted.
