Instacart has started a new system to help supermarkets compete with restaurants for consumers’ meal dollars. The company has launched Ready Meals as part of its app. It is a new prepared meal ordering and delivery service specifically for grocery stores.
Ready Meals makes available delivery of hundreds of meals from chains such as Publix Super Markets, Kroger and Ahold Delhaize USA’s Giant and Food Lion, among others. Wakefern Food Corp.’s and ShopRite are expected to also have meals available from Instacart in the coming weeks.
Through the Instacart app’s Ready Meals Hub section, prepared foods can be ordered and delivered to customer’s home in as soon as 30 minutes. The Ready Meals Hub is available to consumers in 35 states and they can order fresh meals from more than 4,100 grocery stores, according to Instacart.
The fresh food market is a growing opportunity for supermarkets. The U.S. chilled and deli food market is projected to reach more than $108 billion in sales by 2026 from about $40 billion as of October 2021, according to Instacart and market analytics firm Research and Markets.