Scientists to assess effects of low-cost meal kits on low-income households

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Oct 31 2019

The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy is partnering with The Robin Hood Foundation and Lemontree Foods to assess the effects of low-cost meal kits on low-income households.

Researchers from the Institute will evaluate whether Lemontree's home cooking-focused intervention helps families save time and money, foster family cohesion, improve nutrition, and ease food insecurity. Lemontree is a non-profit that sells family dinners in the form of a "kit" with everything a parent needs to cook an affordable meal.

The kits can be purchased using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars at a cost of approximately two dollars per serving. They include a protein, vegetables, and grains, and are designed for easy preparation with basic cooking equipment in a typically-small New York City kitchen.

Food innovations like Lemontree's low-cost meal kits have the potential to reduce grocery costs, improve access to healthy food, and increase home cooking; benefits that our study will measure in the coming year."

Nevin Cohen, Principal Investigator and Director of Research, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute