Traditionally, meal kits have been sold in the deli — particularly if they’re ready-to-heat products that have cooked protein in them. For kits that include uncooked proteins, the meat and seafood sections are often the home of choice.

What has changed, said Michael Lippold, founder and CEO of meal kit specialist FreshRealm, is that now grocers are creating entire sections of the fresh perimeter to house just meal kits and other meal solutions.

“It’s creating a new growth category for grocers. We’re seeing an evolution of how the perimeter of the store is changing.”

FreshRealm believes that the grocers who commit to such dedicated fresh meal destinations will be the most successful.

“It allows the grocery to create a destination spot for consumers to enter and have one space where they can pick different types of meals with unique cooking methods, serving sizes and cuisines.”

For one of its large retailer partners, FreshRealm helped create a complete in-store meal destination which included ready-to-heat, ready-to-cook and meal kits. And they did it, Lippold said, in a cost-effective way.

Another nationwide chain wanted a national program that could provide fresh product to nearly every corner of the country without taking away from the quality of the ingredients. FreshRealm was able to build it at scale while also customizing it depending on the store, Lippold said.

This article is an excerpt from the March 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Meal Kits feature and more in the digital edition here.