Kroger Rolls Out Meal Kits in 4 New Divisions

The Kroger Co. has added its Prep+Pared Meal Kits to four new divisions: Central, Columbus, Fry's and Nashville, joining Cincinnati, Louisville and Ralphs.

This announcement follows Progressive Grocer’s report a week ago that Kroger would be expanding its meal kit program to another 200 stores.

"Prep+Pared Meal Kits are a growing part of Kroger's Our Brands portfolio. As we focus on redefining the grocery customer experience, as outlined in our Restock Kroger plan, we will rapidly grow the footprint of Prep+Pared Meal Kits in 2018," said Robert Clark, Kroger's SVP of merchandising. "Since introducing Prep+Pared Meal Kits earlier this year, our customers have responded favorably to having a convenient solution that makes dinner easy."

The meal-kit market has reached an estimated $1.5 billion over the past five years, according to Rockville, Md.-based market research firm Packaged Facts, with continued growth expected in the years to come.

MEAL KIT SOLUTIONS

Prep+Pared Meal Kit ingredients are fresh, seasonal, prepped and measured to precisely provide customers with only what's needed for each recipe, so there's no waste. Cooking time for each meal kit is about 20 minutes. Prep+Pared Meal Kits feed two adults and range in price from $14 to $20, with no required subscription.

The meal kits are available for purchase in stores and through Kroger’s ClickList online shopping service.

Developed by Kroger's culinary innovation team, recipes include Bacon and Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken with Broccolini Radish and Wheatberry, Shrimp Scampi with Lemon Garlic Fettuccine, and Carne Asada with Fajita Vegetables and Refried Black Beans.

Prep+Pared Meal Kits are now available in nearly 200 stores across the country and will arrive early next year in several new divisions.  

Cincinnati-based Kroger operates 2,793 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia.