Even though HelloFresh has a greater meal variety, Fresh Prep offers comparable quality meals. Neither of the companies has mutton meals, but both have pork, beef, chicken, seafood, cheese, and vegetables on their menu. Hello Fresh also includes turkey, which Fresh Prep does not, but Fresh Prep has mushroom recipes and 100% vegan meals that are not included in the HelloFresh menu.

When we compared recipes in both companies for a given week, it turned out that Fresh Prep had more meat variety, while Hello Fresh offered more vegetarian recipes. Low-carb meals are becoming more popular in Canada, and around the world. HelloFresh offers low-carb recipes, as well as low-calorie meals, whereas Fresh Prep doesn’t. 

Here is a sample of meals taken from the same week for each company:

HelloFresh	Fresh Prep
• BBQ-style chicken dinner with potato salad and sugar snap peas	• Top sirloin tagliata with rosemary potatoes and arugula salad
• Falafel platters with roasted potatoes and garlic hummus drizzle	• Dry-rubbed chicken breast with honey mustard potato and kale salad
• Greek-style shrimp with lemon potatoes and tzatziki	• Tandoori cauliflower & lentil pilau with apricot chutney & coconut yogurt
• Honey pork meatballs with dried cranberries and creamy potatoes	• Steelhead with creamy dill orzo and marinated cucumbers

In case you have any food allergies, it is very important to check the list of allergens, which is provided by both companies. Unfortunately, no substitutes are available, but you can easily avoid unwanted ingredients because they are packed separately. If you have serious allergies though, there may be cross-contamination in the ingredients so using a meal kit company is generally not recommended, even by the services themselves. 

Meal Plans Available

These two companies offer slightly different options when it comes to the number of servings you can order each week. They both offer meal plans for two or four people, but Fresh Prep lets you choose two, three, or four recipes a week; whereas HelloFresh lets you choose three, four, or five recipes a week. Since they both offer three or four recipes, here are the prices so you can compare them side by side:

Number of people	Number of recipes	Fresh Prep	HelloFresh
2	3	$80.94	$82.99
	4	$103.92	$104.99
4	3	$139.08	$139.99
	4	$175.84	$174.99

Prices include delivery and are the total you would pay. On that note, Fresh Prep delivery is free, whereas HelloFresh charges $9.99 per order. As you can see, HelloFresh costs more for all the plans, although you may want to pay the extra to get more variety in your meals, especially if you have a fussy eater at home. 

Sustainability, Packaging, and Delivery

When it comes to whether or not these meal kit companies are green, it’s safe to say “yes” regarding both. It gets a little trickier when you try and compare Hello Fresh vs Fresh Prep and arrive at a clear winner. Let us explain why. 

Hello Fresh is the first global carbon-neutral meal kit company, which is obviously a great achievement. When it comes to packaging, everything is fully recyclable or compostable. Fresh Prep also has its own claim to fame in this department, because it offers what it calls Zero Waste meal kits. The ingredients come in reusable plastic containers so you don’t even have to recycle. With these kits, you return the containers and Fresh Prep cleans them and sends them back out with fresh ingredients. 

There’s no competition when it comes to Fresh Prep vs HelloFresh delivery from a postal code point of view. Hello Fresh wins hands down as it covers around 95% of Canada’s population, whereas Fresh Prep only delivers to certain areas in B.C. and Alberta (Abbotsford, Burnaby, Calgary, Chilliwack, Comox Valley, Coquitlam, Delta, Edmonton, Kelowna, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, Nanaimo, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Red Deer, Richmond, Squamish, Sunshine Coast, Surrey, Tsawwassen, Vancouver, Vernon, Victoria, White Rock).

Customer Reviews: HelloFresh vs Fresh Prep

At the time of writing, HelloFresh Canada has 15,000 reviews on Trustpilot and gets an average of 3.9 stars out of five. To give you an idea of the extremes, 45% of reviewers gave five stars and 6% gave one star. Most are very happy with the meal kit company and some of the biggest positive factors pointed out were the variety of recipes to choose from, the convenience and ease of ordering, and how simple the recipes are to follow. Some of the negative comments focused on ingredients going off before the use-by date, and the plastic packaging some items come wrapped in. Here is an example of a well-balanced review left by one customer:

“It’s nice, good selection of meals, though the vegan options are very few. I had a good time cooking my two boxes, everything was fresh and the instructions were simple to follow. The skip-a-box option is practical, choosing meals in advance for many weeks is nice as well. Delivery was easy, boxes are well packed.”

At the time of writing, Fresh Prep has 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot and gets an average of 4.5 stars out of five. This is an excellent star rating for a meal-kit company (or any service). To give you an idea of the extremes, 71% of reviewers gave five stars and only 1% gave one star. Most people rave about the zero waste packaging (reusable plastic containers), although some complained they should be smaller to fit more in the fridge. While most customers love how fresh the ingredients are, some noticed they had moldy produce or underripe veggies. Here is an example of a well-balanced review left by one customer:

“I tried 3 other meal services before Fresh Prep. This is the one you want. Meals are substantial enough, the recipes are amazing, quality of everything is fantastic. As someone very comfortable in the kitchen, I don’t feel like I’ve sold out using their recipes. I’m continuing to learn. Packaging is also top of class. Zero packaging waste and zero food waste. I called about my delivery once and an actual person answered the phone on the second ring. Very friendly and helpful. I have praised this company to my family and friends. Great local company.”

What You Get With Either Company

As we have already mentioned above, the Fresh Prep vs Hello Fresh comparison is mainly relevant for those who live in and around Vancouver and Alberta, because those are the only areas where both meal kits are available. For Vancouverites and Albertans, we can say that both companies deliver fresh and high-quality meal kits with recipes and ingredients for your dinner. The main difference between the two is that Fresh Prep is a local company while HelloFresh is a global corporation. Each of these brings its own advantages.

Because HelloFresh is a significantly larger company, they have the capability to offer a wider variety of meals catering to different diets and tastes, and a greater volume of meal options each week. Fresh Prep does not have the same capability, but they excel at capitalizing on local partnerships to deliver fresh food sourced primarily from British Columbia.

Another difference between HelloFresh vs Fresh Prep is their delivery. Fresh Prep delivery is free and they also have slightly lower prices than HelloFresh. In regards to the physical meal kit container, HelloFresh utilizes insulated boxes that can be recycled, while Fresh Prep uses delivery bags that are meant to be left in a cooler on your porch. Fresh Prep sends a text message when the meal kit is delivered so that you can unpack the bag as soon as possible and put all the ingredients in the fridge. The HelloFresh box can stay on your porch for a significantly longer period of time since the container is insulated.

To conclude our Fresh Prep vs Hello Fresh comparison, we can say that if you’re looking for meal kits in Vancouver or Alberta, you have these highly-rated brands available to you, and others. You can try a global company that offers many options to choose from, or support a local business with fewer options but with comparable meal kit quality and freshness. Both companies offer great customer service, so if you need to skip a week or two or cancel your subscription entirely, just let them know, and they will be happy to assist. In the end, it may be easiest to simply order meal kits from both Fresh Prep and HelloFresh and test the difference for yourself.

Read our other meal kits comparison articles

• HelloFresh VS Blue Apron
• HelloFresh VS GoodFood VS Chefs Plate
• HelloFresh VS Cook It
• Chefs Plate VS HelloFresh
• HelloFresh VS GoodFood
• HomeChef VS HelloFresh

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Fresh Prep the same as HelloFresh?

No, these companies aren’t the same. Fresh Prep is Canadian-owned while HelloFresh is German. While they both deliver meal kits to British Columbia and Alberta, HelloFresh also delivers to other provinces in Canada. HelloFresh has more variety on the menu, whereas Fresh Prep is more convenient if you’re looking for pre-cut ingredients you just need to cook or assemble to make a recipe.

Is Fresh Prep healthy?

Yes, Fresh Prep is typically very healthy. Much of its weekly menu is dedicated to vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free meals. The ingredients are of the highest quality, so you know that everything is fresh and as healthy as possible.

Is HelloFresh healthy?

Yes, HelloFresh is typically healthy. You can choose your meals and pick lower calorie or carb options if you like, or go for vegetarian meals. The ingredients are of the highest quality, so it’s much healthier than eating out or ordering in.

Does Fresh Prep let you choose your meals?

Yes, HelloFresh is healthy. The menu offers healthy options each week with fresh ingredients. Recipes are clearly labelled with calories and other important details to help you decide what’s right for you.

Does HelloFresh let you choose your meals?

Yes, HelloFresh lets you choose your meals. You can see the upcoming weekly menu choices five weeks in advance if you want to plan ahead.