Why Professional Meal Prep Services are the Energy-Saving Solution You Never Thought Of

Are you tired of being stuck in the kitchen after a long day of work, only to end up with a mediocre meal that you don’t even enjoy? Or perhaps you’re feeling guilty about the amount of money and waste that comes from ordering takeout or eating out all the time. You’re not alone. We all want convenience and flavor, but what if we told you there was a way to have both, while also saving energy and money?

You may be surprised to learn that the answer lies in professional meal prep services. And while it might seem counterintuitive, using these services can actually lead to significant energy savings. Here are some unique reasons why:

Centralized Kitchens are More Energy Efficient Than Your Home Kitchen

When you cook at home, you’re likely using a variety of appliances such as a stove, oven, and microwave, all of which use energy. In fact, cooking at home accounts for 4.5% of total residential energy use in the United States. And if you’re like most people, you’re probably not optimizing your energy usage, especially if you’re only cooking for one or two people.

Professional meal prep services, on the other hand, have centralized kitchens where they can use energy-efficient equipment and optimize their energy usage. They can also cook in larger batches, which means they’re using the same equipment to prepare multiple meals at once. This leads to significant energy savings that you can’t achieve when cooking at home.

Reduce Food Waste and Save Money

We’ve all been there – you cook a meal and end up with way more food than you can eat. This often leads to leftovers, which often end up being thrown away. In fact, food waste accounted for over 20% of total landfill volume in 2018. This not only contributes to environmental issues, but it also wastes money.

Professional meal prep services can help reduce food waste by planning their menus carefully and using ingredients more efficiently. They know exactly how much of each ingredient they need for a given number of meals, and they can adjust their orders accordingly. Plus, since they’re preparing meals in larger batches, they can use ingredients more efficiently and reduce the amount of waste generated.

Less Energy Used in Transportation

When you order takeout or eat out, your food has to be transported from the restaurant to your location. This means a delivery person has to use their car or bike to bring you your food. This not only contributes to air pollution, but it also uses a significant amount of energy.

Professional meal prep services typically use a centralized kitchen that’s located closer to residential areas. This means they can deliver meals to multiple customers in the same area at once, reducing the number of trips needed and the associated energy usage.

Statistics

If you’re still not convinced that professional meal prep services are the energy-saving solution you never thought of, here are some statistics that might change your mind:

• The Natural Resources Defense Council found that the average American household spends $3,000 a year on dining out.
• If Americans cut their restaurant spending in half and redirected those funds toward home-cooked meals, they could save $1,500 a year and reduce their carbon footprint by 8.4%.
• According to a study published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, cooking at home is associated with lower energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, if Americans shifted their diets from restaurant food to home-cooked meals, they could reduce their energy use by 1.8%, their water use by 10%, and their greenhouse gas emissions by 2.7%.

Conclusion

As you can see, professional meal prep services are a unique and effective way to save energy, reduce waste, and save money.