ShopRite Introduces In-Store Meal Kits

The latest grocer to join the meal-kit derby, ShopRite, has rolled out a line of gourmet-style meal kits aimed at shoppers seeking affordable meal solutions that are creative, easy to make and made with better-for-you ingredients.

The Chef’s Menu meal kits, carried by select ShopRite stores across the banner’s six-state footprint, include such chef-created selections as Thai Coconut Chicken, Chicken Marsala, Korean Beef Stir Fry, Moroccan Chicken and Pork Scaloppini.

Retailing for about $13.99 and serving between two and four people, each pre-portioned kit contains fresh vegetables; chicken, beef or pork; olive oil; and a specialty sauce. All of the meals meet USDA-recommended dietary guidelines and have been approved by ShopRite’s corporate and in-store dietitians. Each kit also features detailed cooking instructions on the package.

“We know our shoppers want to enjoy healthy, delicious dinners, but finding the time to cook a meal from scratch isn’t always an option,” noted Geoffrey Wexler, VP of food services at ShopRite, adding that recent industry statistics show that about 53 percent of dinners are planned within an hour of eating. “With the introduction of these meal kits, we’re able to offer our customers a simple way to create a five-star meal that is less expensive than a subscription service, doesn’t require advance planning or prep work, and can go from store to table in just one pan in about 15 minutes or less.”

The chain’s other offerings in the meal solution space, available at select locations, include a large selection of restaurant-style ready-made meals under the ShopRite Kitchen brand, and a Meals Made Well food cart with all of the ingredients needed to create a “meal of the week,” located in a stand-alone refrigerated case and using recipes from ShopRite dietitians and corporate chefs.

Other grocers that have introduced or expanded their selection of private-label meal kits in the past year include Publix, Walmart, Kroger and others. And earlier this week, Southern grocer Rouses introduced meal kits under its own brand.

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Keasbey, N.J.-based retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. With more than 270 ShopRite supermarkets throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than 6 million customers each week.