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Hungryroot Review – I Tried This Meal Kit and Grocery Delivery Service

Rachel Martin
ByRachel MartinMar 28, 2023 | 26 comments
Hungryroot Review - I Tried This Meal Kit and Grocery Delivery Service

Hungryroot Review - I Tried This Meal Kit and Grocery Delivery Service

Grocery shopping and healthy eating made fast and easy

Hungryroot is a grocery and meal delivery service that makes healthy eating fun and easy. It allows you to easily grocery shop online and simplifies the cooking process by supplying a meal kit with everything you need for any meal of the day.

Hungryroot offers plenty of nutritious meals for just about every diet and you have more control over the ingredients you receive than a lot of other meal delivery services. It was formerly 100% vegan but has since introduced meats and other animal-based products to its ever-increasing product lineup.

In this Hungryroot review, I share my full experience cooking and trying out 8 different meals from Hungryroot. The meal kits I received were vegan and gluten-free and included all the groceries I needed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for one week.

This package was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

What Is Hungryroot?

You can think of Hungryroot as a one-click grocery store trip. If traditional meal kits aren't quite your thing, and you like the flexibility of selecting pre-planned meals AND adding grocery store items into your box, then Hungryroot is certainly worth a try.

Hungryroot offers multiple plans for meal kits that vary in cost. Each plan issues credits that can be used to scoop up fully-planned meals or a la carte items in the grocery section.

Each meal kit for lunch/dinner is designed to include a protein, pasta or grain, a veggie, and usually a sauce or dressing. There are also desserts, ready-to-eat snacks, sides, breakfast foods, and more that can be chosen.

The bulk of Hungryroot's meal kits require you to follow recipes and cook, however, there are also options for ready-to-eat meals as well.

How Much Does Hungryroot Cost?

The price of your Hungryroot subscription depends on how many recipes you want to try out each week as well as how many servings you need. Weekly plans range from as little as $66 to as much as $135 if you're signing up for just lunch and/or dinner. However, if you add on breakfast, snacks, or sweets you can expect to pay a bit more.

At the bare minimum, you'll be required to sign-up to receive at least 3 recipes (lunch/dinner) per week with 2 servings each. Each serving for this plan costs $9.99 and there's a shipping fee of $6.99 that will be added to your order (all orders under $70 have a shipping fee).

The largest plan you can sign-up to receive includes 4 recipes (lunch/dinner) with 4 servings each. Each serving in this plan costs $8.49, but shipping is free which makes the final cost come out to $135.84.

To top it off, you can also add breakfast items, snacks, and sweets to your plan. You can add anywhere from 2-10 (2-3, 4-6, or 7-10) servings of breakfast items and sweets as well as 2-12 (2-4, 5-7, or 8-12) servings of snacks.

Each minimum option for add-ons (breakfast, snacks, or sweets) typically adds another $7-10 to your plan. For example, if you order the minimum recipe plan which costs $66.93 (recipes + shipping), and then add 2-3 breakfast/sweets or 2-4 snacks you can expect to pay a final cost of $76.92.

Does Hungryroot Accommodate Dietary Restrictions And Food Preferences?

Yes! Hungryroot accommodates its meal plans for several different dietary preferences and restrictions. You can set your weekly meal plan to only have grocery items that are free of dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, soy, gluten, and shellfish. You can also set your food preferences to vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian as well as choose specific proteins to receive.

When first signing up you can select your dietary needs in your Food Profile. By doing so, Hungryroot will only show and send you groceries that meet your specific dietary needs. To be extra cautious, you can also set any items that don't work for you to 'Never' to avoid receiving them in future deliveries.

Something to keep in mind is that Hungryroot defines allergen-free products as food items not containing any of the selected allergens in their ingredients. Thus, some grocery items may be processed in the same facility as certain allergens. To ensure that specific meals in your meal plan aren't processed with specific allergens you can contact Hungryroot's support team here, or take a look at the item's description by clicking on its photo on the Groceries page.

My Hungryroot Review - Here Are The Healthy Meals I Got To Try For A Week!

I was eager to try out Hungryroot for an entire week! I have been (mostly) vegan for about 2.5 years and my biggest obstacle is actually cooking a meal rather than just grabbing some quick veggies and hummus for dinner. And while I don't have Celiac disease, I feel much better when I avoid or limit gluten so I opted for a vegan and gluten-free weekly meal plan.

For this review I received the Medium Box which contained all the groceries required to make the following meals:

  • Tacos
  • Rice Bowl with Green Beans
  • Veggie Noodles with Beyond Bolognese
  • Pasta Dish
  • Cherry Chia Maple Oatmeal
  • Ancient Grain Pancake Mix
  • Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Tagine
  • Cookie Dough

Here's a closer look at each of the meals I got to try along with my thoughts and overall experience!

My Hungryroot Meals

Meal 1: Tacos

 

I knew that using the super blend salad in this was a bit unconventional, but holy heck I loved it! I sautéed about half of the bag, spread the spicy refried beans onto microwave-warmed shells, then added the cabbage-y/Brussels-y salad and avocado crema. I also added some salsa from my pantry and, voila, in literally 5 minutes dinner was served!

These tacos easily rivaled my favorite taco truck ones, which I found really exciting. Overall, this one was a big hit for me.

 

Meal 2: Rice Bowl with Green Beans

 

I love green beans, but for some reason, I never think to buy them. These ones were crisp, vibrant, and just beautiful.

Per the recipe instructions, I steamed them up in just a few moments. (Seriously, why don't I make these all the time??!) I like my hot meals to be evenly hot, so I popped the brown rice quinoa blend and the crunchy carrot lentil mix in the microwave for about 90 seconds, plated those items, then drizzled a bit of the lemon tahini dressing on top.

Even though I actually don't recall including the tahini in my order, this meal definitely would have been too dry without a sauce of some sort, so I was grateful for it. That said, it was a little too lemony for my tastes. Next time, I'd probably try a different sauce.

Overall with everything considered, the meal was fast, filling, and beautiful to look at.

 

Meal 3: Veggie Noodles with Beyond Bolognese

 

I don't consider myself a "foodie" per se, but I suppose it would be hard to deny that I'm a little snobby about what I eat. Some days though, a girl just wants to feel like her belly is being hugged—this meal was exactly the hug I was craving! It had a nostalgic, Hamburger-Helper-esque vibe to it, despite having fresh, healthy ingredients that are, in fact, quite sophisticated.

I don't have children, but I can see how this could be a good meal to sneak some plants into the kiddos!

 

I've only ever baked a spaghetti squash in the oven while it was still in its shell, so I wasn't sure how pan-frying it (per Hungryroot's directions) would go. I was pleasantly surprised that after just a few minutes it was very easy to break apart into "noodles."

I pan-fried the Beyond Burger meat as well. I may have left it on a minute or two too long, however, the extra crispy sear may have been what made it seem so nostalgic (don't tell my mom I said that!).

A generous squeeze of the Superfood tomato sauce (which I LOVE) and, bada-bing, dinner is served!

 

Meal 4: Pasta

 

I have to admit, this meal didn't live up to my expectations, though I take full responsibility for it because I customized the recipe!

I tried to give it a flavor boost with some black pepper, red pepper flakes, and vegan parmesan, but it just didn't quite get there. If I'd had sun-dried tomatoes I definitely would have added them.

The good news is, I really liked the pesto and had lots of leftover pesto to add to other meals throughout the week.

 

Breakfast 1: Cherry Chia Maple Oatmeal

 

This week I had a few extra credits in my budget so I played around with some other meal options. These breakfast oats arrived in a dented cardboard container though the plastic wrapper around the rim was still intact.

I used water rather than milk as was suggested as a possible way of preparing the oats. They had a nice tartness from the cherries, but I didn't pick up much of the maple.

It made for a quick, hearty breakfast. Beware, however, this oatmeal has 14 total sugars per serving, 12 of which are added. I'd probably get these again should ever I find myself with two Hungryroot credits to burn.

 

Breakfast 2: Ancient Grain Pancake Mix

 

These pancakes were pretty standard nutrition-wise, and they were good! I had to add much, much more water than the instructions called for in order to make the batter thin enough, and even then I probably could have used a tiny bit more.

I topped them with vegan butter, syrup, and blueberries. I think next time I'll try them with some almond butter and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Intuitively, something seemed off in the instructions, but I measured out the mix as they suggested (although with double the amount of water) expecting to yield 6 pancakes—more than enough for just me. 13 pancakes later, I guess I'm set for the week!

I'm also not convinced that the servings per container math is correct. If it was, there should be enough mix to make 2 full batches with even a bit to spare. However, there's not even a full cup's worth left in the package. This isn't a dealbreaker for me, but for someone looking to stretch this mix to its fullest, I thought it was worth noting.

 

Lunch: Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Tagine

 

I discovered tagine at a Moroccan restaurant in San Francisco many years back and fell in love, so I was really excited to see it on the Hungryroot grocery list. There is a touch of heat/spice to it which may not be to everyone's liking, but it's also mellowed by a hint of sweetness. The container held plenty for a very substantial lunch, and perhaps even a late-day snack.

If I could, I'd include this in my order every week.

 

Dessert: Cookie Dough!

 

Friends, I may need an intervention. This week I got not one, not two, but three containers of cookie dough! Granted, I think the third was some kind of mystery surprise much like the lemon tahini sauce, however, I am not complaining.

Truly, I find myself quite happy with a small spoonful (or two...) of the raw stuff after a meal. However, I figured I should do right by you and actually bake up a batch.

I wasn't as crazy about the Oatmeal Spice in its raw form. Baked, they were better, though still not my favorite. The nutmeg did make my whole house smell divine. I only baked two from the Almond Chickpea tub (you can't have all of my joy!) and I think they fared better than the oatmeal ones in the oven, as well.

 

The instructions said to bake for 13-15 minutes, however, I had to leave these in for much longer. 21 minutes, to be exact—oven temperatures vary and mine is very old! When I checked on them the first time, I noticed they hadn't flattened out at all the way cookies usually do, so I smashed them down a bit with the back of a spoon. Finally, they did start to look browned around the edges. Once they'd cooled a little, I really enjoyed the texture—slightly crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

It's hard to say anything bad about any cookie, especially a warm one straight out of the oven, but I think I'll stick to the raw dough.

 

The Verdict - My Honest Thoughts On Hungryroot

Overall, I feel Hungryroot does a really great job of keeping things fast and easy. Their site is user-friendly, they offer a decent variety of grocery item options without feeling too overwhelming, and their meal preparation is simple, straightforward, and super fast.

I would like to see better quality control on the fresh vegetables and more prominent alerts as far as order cut-off times. For the most part, though, everything I received was tasty, nutritious, and very well-prepped for a fast and easy meal. I have enjoyed learning the Hungryroot system, as well as the reminder that healthy, delicious food really can be super simple to prepare.

As a single gal, I would definitely bump down to the small box at this point, especially now that I've built up a stock of pantry items and sauces. Many of the meals feed more than one, and most of the grocery items can be mixed and matched to make other recipes.

I can see how Hungryroot's meal kit delivery service would be extremely family-friendly and a big win for busy parents. I think it would also be a great plan for folks who are new to or not so comfortable in the kitchen but still want to cook fresh meals.

Will you be trying Hungryroot? If you are a current subscriber, what has your experience been like?

Want Another Opinion Of Hungryroot?

Check out our other Hungryroot review written by Lindsey Morse, or read 40+ reviews left by our readers here.

Hungryroot FAQs

What is Hungryroot?

Hungryroot is a grocery and meal delivery service that makes healthy eating fun and easy. It allows you to do grocery shopping online and simplifies the cooking process by supplying a meal kit with all the food items you need for any meal of the day.

How much does Hungryroot cost a month?

The smallest plan starts at $70 and comes with free shipping. It consists of 3 two-serving meals. The price of other plans depends on how many breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and sweets you want for the week.

How much is shipping for Hungryroot?

Shipping is free for orders over $70. Orders under $70 have a shipping fee of $6.99.

Does Hungryroot have real meat?

Yes! Although Hungryoot is best known for its plant-based meals, it also offers animal-based products like beef, bison, and poultry.

Where does Hungryroot deliver?

Hungryroot currently delivers to just the contiguous United States. Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii!

Can you pick your own food with Hungryroot?

Yes! Hungryroot will automatically add all the food for your meal kit each week, but you can edit your delivery before it ships. You can clear your entire upcoming delivery as well as add or remove specific items. You can enjoy the convenience factor of letting Hungryroot choose your meals for you or have full autonomy with this meal kit service.

Can I lose weight with Hungryroot?

Absolutely! There are tons of options for healthy food that can assist with weight loss when paired with proper exercise and lifestyle modifications. When building your meal plan you can choose to add on breakfast items as well as meals for lunch and dinner that have 500 calories or less.

How many meals do you get with Hungryroot?

The minimum required plan comes with 5 recipes for 2 people (10 servings), or you can order the maximum which comes with 4 recipes for 4 people (16 servings) which covers lunch and dinner along with up to 7-10 servings of breakfast items, 8-12 servings of snacks, and 7-10 servings of sweets.

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Rachel Martin
Rachel Martin
Rachel's interest in subscription boxes began in 2015 with a gifted POPSUGAR box. As a three-time cancer survivor, Rachel is always on the hunt for natural products that make life easier. And after all that time in a hospital gown, this girl is obsessed with fashion!

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26 comments

Jessica

I am pretty satisfied with Hungryroot overall. I feel like it provides me with healthier snacks in a smaller quantity and cheaper price than what I would find in the store. You have to be careful though because some of the small snack packs contain more than one serving and looking at the calories you think that’s all but you actually ate two servings. The simplicity of the meals is both a positive and a negative for me. The positives are that it takes almost no time to make and really all you have to do is heat it up or put it together. There are also some spices that have very low sodium like the Taco Seasoning mix which is a great option for family members who are salt sensitive. The downside is that I am used to putting more preparation into my food and some of the meals end up more bland than I am used to. If I have more time I will employ a different cooking method or add other spices/ingredients that I already have.

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sadly Hungry Root fills your Refrigerator with packaging. Buy whole food and skip all the plastic!

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Jordan

Hmm…I feel like this is an old review being recycled. The oatmeal spice cookie dough has been replaced by a newer oatmeal raisin recipe and spaghetti squash is no longer available. With that beings said, I do use Hungryroot and really like it. It’s not easy to get to the grocery store where I live and I also find it hard to stick to a budget when I do my own shopping. They have most of the things I would buy anyway, and some things I really love such as their turkey meatballs. On the occasions that I have had issues with my deliveries, I have always had very positive experiences with customer service, though I do wish that the lifespan of some of the fresh produce was a bit longer. I love to cook so I always buy individual groceries rather than using their “recipes.” Overall, it makes sense for my situation but I think it could be cost prohibitive for others.

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James

I’ve used them on and off for a couple years.

Depending on how much work you do, it can be incredibly thrifty and fantastic, or super expensive and disappointing.

The automated system will just grab random meals from your preferences, and fill the rest of your ‘points’ with items you’ve said you’re interested in. Sometimes that works – other times you end up with two containers of a sauce (from 2 recipies that use it), and only use one of them in the end.

However, if you pick everything yourself, check the grocery list and make sure you’re not getting any duplicates, it ends up being about the same price as I’m spending weekly at the store but with WAY higher quality items (many organic and specialty options that I can’t get at my local grocery store).

If you think of it as a similar program to cooking delivery boxes like Greenchef/blueplate/etc, it’s going to disappoint you. If you instead view it as a grocery delivery from a NYC style bodega (with a lot of deli and specialties), it’s absolutely worth the price.

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Cyndy

Never trust product reviews from sources that are gifted the product from the company.
I am not saying the person doing the review will lie. I am saying the company will make sure they give 1st class service knowing they are being reviewed.
The ONLY positive reviews I can find concerning this company, come from the people gifted the service for review purposes. Which speaks loud and clear to the character or lack of, character of the company. It proves they know who to pander to and it is not paying customers.

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DOLORES

I was initially excited to try Hungryroot as my bf just started eating vegan. 1st red flag: you can’t select what you want until AFTER you sign up and give payment info.
I went through the process and really disliked their website. It took several tries to get the order placed.
I was offered a delivery for Sunday and to get ready for dinner. NO WHERE was I advised delivery windows are until 9pm! I unfortunately got that news at 6:30pm via text on Sunday awaiting the box so I could make dinner. 2nd red flag: You cannot reach anyone live. You have to go through a text ordeal, which initially said expect a response in 48 hours. A complete joke.
I sent a barrage of “cancel” texts until someone answered. Not only did I not have dinner at 6pm on a Sunday, but we didn’t have groceries for the week ahead. We had to spend extra money going out to eat and then spend our Sunday evening grocery shopping instead. All because we had the great error in judgement of planning a Hungryroot box.
They stole time, effort and my Sunday evening from me, then 3rd red flag: they *refused* to refund. 16 emails later I contacted my credit card company and disputed the charge. Monday at 2pm I finally received a Hungryroot email saying they apologized for disappointing me and were going to refund the charges, since the box had still not been delivered. I attempted contact multiple times (including through Hungryroot’s website messaging, texts, Facebook and Instagram) to get information about my order. Hungryroot refused all requests for a refund until the next day and AFTER I disputed their charge, each time saying the items are perishable and not refundable. Think about that. 4th red flag: You get your box whenever you get your box, and they expect you to *eat* those items – but they won’t allow a refund when the box is late using the same “perishable” logic!

Arriving home from work at 5pm Monday, I found a Hungryroot box delivered. Who knows how long it sat there in the blazing FL sun. Automated tracking info told me it was placed on a LaserShip truck at 4am Sunday. 5th red flag: One whole side of the box was soaked in a vinegar smelling oily liquid. This turned out to be pkg of cucumber bean salad smashed open and all box contents covered in it. A package of burger buns was placed at the *bottom* of the box, completely squashed flat. Nothing was even close to being usable. All items were warm, covered in goo (one of the gel packs had also burst) or otherwise dented/broken open/broken.
This experience is a clear indication to me that Hungryroot does not value subscribers and doesn’t care to implement a support structure. In the *strongest possible terms* I urge avoiding this meal kit plan.

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Jessica

I am so glad they have improved a lot since this!

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Tee

Hungry Root needs to do better because there is too much competition in this industry to have poor customer service and business practices. I made my first order and I was very excited. They seemed to have a good selection and variety. My shipment was set to arrive on a Saturday but I would not be home so I asked the shipping to hold it until Monday and I would pick it up. Well I don’t know what happened between Sat and Mon but when I arrived Mon morning, the shipping company GLS could not locate my order. GLS is another issue and I’ve filed a complaint. It is at this time that I learned that Hungry Root does not have a customer service number. You have to email them or send them a “text” through an 800 number. Also, they do not respond timely. I sent an email and text Mon morning and I did not get a response until Tuesday afternoon. By this time GLS had informed them that they lost my package. The c/s agent informed me that all she could do was refund my money, she would not expediate another order to me. I was told that I would have to wait until my next shipment was due to arrive. I went onto their site and cancelled my subscription. I will use another company.

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Samantha

I’ve used them for years, back when they were a Vegan company and I was trying to get some health issues sorted out. I still use them and glad they have a lot more options now and beef! I occasionally will have an issue with something opening in my package but I like that you can easily just report it quickly and they credit you. I don’t have issues with my things spoiling. I also like they have snacks now and things like coffee that they didn’t in the past. I look for forward to customizing it each week and it arriving and how fast it is to cook. I’ve put it on hold a few times and when I do I start eating terrible. They allow me to eat at home more and stay healthy.

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Catie

At the ER for my 3 year old who had a severe allergic reaction to dinner tonight from Hungryroot. Upon reading the ingredients lists, which I should have done before ordering, I see a host of lab-created garbage. Not real food at all. I couldn’t be more disappointed. This is a lesson I’m having to pay for the worst way, at the expense of my child. Please don’t be fooled like I was. This is not real food, and certainly not healthy.

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Bethany

I reactivated. I can’t do every week, but am excited to try some new items and for the bonus cookie dough! Thanks for the in depth review!

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Mel

I received my first order Monday, and three items were missing. I contacted customer service, but haven’t received a response yet. Hope the next order is complete. I picked everything individually because it appears they double charge for sauce, but only send one. $12 for one pouch of sauce is ridiculous.

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Mel

Customer service gave me store credit, so I’m pretty happy about that.

One meal they offered was a total standout for both my boyfriend and I; the Right Rice, topped with sauteed shaved brussels, roasted root vegetables, and the hot smoked salmon. SO GOOD!

Loving Hungryroot so far.

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Rachel Martin

Thanks for the update, Mel, as well as the recipe. I have some leftover brussels and Right Rice; I just may whip up something similar!

Mellissa

Thank you for these awesome reviews!

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Rachel Martin

I hope they’ve been helpful! 🙂

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Aarjullor

I thought cookie dough for life meant it would always be in your box. A bonus that you had to do nothing to receive after signing up with that deal.

This week looks more edible then last week, by far, but still not something I would sign up for. Thanks for the in-depth review.

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DawnS

I like the concept and the review (aside from the format of the review). But each time rushing to use the fresh veggies seems odd, they should be able to keep a week for the kind of money spent.

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Drminniecooper

I really like this in depth style review for food boxes (both this one and the similar one going on for daily harvest right now). I sometimes wish MSA had a like button because I have nothing to add other then I appreciate this post.

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Rachel Martin

<3 <3 <3

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Jody

I make my own chickpea cookie dough. So wonderful. I need a recipe for the brownies. Haven’t heard of that one.

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Beth

Please share!!!

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LORI CHRISTIAN

Did I read “cookie dough for life” right???

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Rachel Martin

YES! Amazing, right?!

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Natalia Baage

My greens – and many of my vegetables – with them spoil too! Otherwise, I am happy with their service. I really like their tofu burgers.

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Stephanie

My first two boxes and they sent me food that had spoiled before it even arrived, the food was actually warm even though I was home and unpacked immediately! I discontinued the service after those first two deliveries, especially because they only wanted to give me a credit for a future box. Sorry but if you can’t correct the problem the first time I report it I’m not going to keep on tying up my money with the service. I would’ve tried again in the winter but not after the terrible customer service. I ended up having to file a chargeback and they only responded when I commented publicly on Instagram. Then they refunded me after I filed the chargeback (which I informed them I was doing). I stuck with daily harvest and peach dish (well before they ended service). Hopefully they’ve corrected their shipping issues and revised their customer service policies. Sad bc I love healthy food boxes!

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