In life, it can seem like there is an endless list of chores to complete, and grocery shopping is certainly one of them.
According to the BBC, an average household heads to the grocery store 16 times a month. That’s nearly once every other day! In a piece in The Sun, it was reported that each trip is 37 minutes on average, meaning the average person spends nearly 10 hours grocery shopping every month!
And whilst supermarkets have moved online to help consumers spend less time in-store, the truth is it’s always going to be a time consuming task.
Grocery planning can be an arduous task but it’s certainly important for a number of reasons, including:
Navigating a vast number of aisles in a supermarket can be time consuming, especially without a plan.
A solid shopping list can help cut down time in-store, by giving shoppers a solid plan.
Having a well-planned shopping trip can also help shoppers stick to a budget by removing the chance of impulse purchasing.
Studies have shown that shopping when a person is hungry can result in bigger food shops, so having a solid plan can help combat this.
It can also mean they avoid buying items they already have, as they won’t have to remember what they have in cupboards at home.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme reported that in 2021/22, 6.4 million tonnes of food (and drink) waste was generated from UK households. This equates to 95 kg per person per year.
Having a solid shopping plan that includes meal planning can help reduce wasted food (and money) by ensuring people only buy the food they need.
Luckily, a number of startups have emerged to help consumers better plan their supermarket shop. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Eat This Month is a site that creates meal plans for you based on the food you like, your monthly budget and schedule.
The app is designed to create meal plans that help people live a healthier lifestyle, and also reduce food waste in the process.
Mealime is another meal planning software that automatically generates a grocery list.
The app allows people to select recipes and then get given a grocery list, advertising itself as a company that gives meal kit convenience at grocery store prices.
Supercook can help cut down on wastage by creating meals based on the food a person has at home.
Users can add ingredients to the site and unlock recipes that use them, helping reduce the risk of over-buying ingredients.
Kitchenful is a US-based all-in-one meal planning and grocery shopping app, that allows users to meal plan, generate a shopping list and then order directly from the supermarket.
The app removes any need to go grocery shopping, whilst also giving shoppers inspiration for their weekly meals.
Plateup is an app that gives people new, chef-curated recipes every month, making it easy to plan meals.
The app then converts the recipes into grocery lists, helping users price-compare different supermarkets. This not only helps them cook more diverse meals, but budget friendly ones too!
Just like Kitchenful, Cherrypick helps people plan their meals by allowing them to find recipes, plan meals and order the food from big UK grocery stores like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and ASDA.
