Dive Brief:
- Peapod is teaming up with cookbook author and food influencer Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste to offer a limited-time meal kit specifically for the air fryer, the company said in a press release.
- Homolka’s cornflake-crusted "fried" chicken with romaine slaw will be the featured meal kit recipe, available through Peapod in Chicago as well as Stop & Shop in New York and Jersey City, and Giant Food in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
- The meal kit will include pre-measured, pre-chopped and pre-washed ingredients and will serve four people for about $5 per serving. Peapod will also make some of the recipes from Homolka's cookbook, "Skinnytaste Fast and Slow," available in shoppable form, including fried pickle chips and Very Berry Mini Pie.
Dive Insight:
This is Peapod’s second collaboration with Homolka, following a previous effort to feature recipes in meal kit form from her "Skinnytaste" cookbook in 2016.
"Gina's Chicken Cacciatore Meal Kit was one of Peapod's best-selling meal kits and it was a natural choice to collaborate again," said Spencer Baird, senior vice president of merchandising for Peapod, in a statement.
The e-grocer has been turning to influential foodies and chefs as well as restaurants over the past few years to help its meal kit business stand out. In May, Peapod launched a partnership with food writer Mark Bittman to create shoppable recipes from his new cookbook and offer an exclusive meal kit. Last year, Peapod tapped two Chicago-area restaurants for culinary inspiration to expand its meal kit options.
To differentiate from previous efforts, Peapod said this is the first meal kit made specifically for the air fryer. It’s an on-trend move, with more than 4 million air fryers sold in a year, according to the NPD Group. The appliance is known for cooking food quickly without the oil usually required for frying.
Peapod seems to have found a formula that works when it comes to meal kits, which continue to struggle and evolve at other companies. Albertsons is now phasing out Plated's subscription meal kit service and bringing the brand under its private label portfolio, while Blue Apron's performance has continued to decline.
