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Blue Apron Expands Into Lunch and Snack Categories

Specialty Food Association

Blue Apron, the meal kit company, unveiled a new strategy yesterday which entails expanding convenient meal solutions beyond dinner. Now, lunch and snacks are available for order on its “Add-ons” menu.

“Expanding the variety of our menu options to meet the needs of families and on-the-go customers continues to be a category we are focused on, especially as summer winds down and [the] back-to-school season approaches,” said Josh Friedman, Blue Apron’s chief product officer, in a statement. “We continue to iterate on our offerings to create recipes that complement one another, but also fit into more non-traditional meal times.”

The new snack and lunch recipes are designed to be prepared in under 30 minutes. Options include pancetta grilled cheese with caramelized onion, French bread pizza, antipasto wraps, and a snack board. Other offerings include ready-to-cook recipes that minimize cutting and chopping, heat-and-eat microwavable meals, and fast-and-easy sheet pan and one-pot dishes.

“As we move into fall, our culinary team wanted to offer customers a series of recipes that could be utilized and enjoyed in a variety of ways throughout the day,” said John Adler, Blue Apron’s VP of culinary, in a statement. “The new Add-ons function great as stand-alone meals, but they’re also customizable by adding, for example, an à-la-carte protein to our pesto pasta, allowing customers to create a meal that works for their taste buds and dietary preferences.”

Related: ShopRite Gets “Fresh to Table” Experience; Meijer Launches Heat-and-Eat Meal Line