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Blue Apron Files for IPO

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Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#61

Post by htsh »

Seems waste has been covered well but I was curious about what people think about these services and how they relate to food deserts. I think there are at least a few interesting takes on this.

First, this helps a ton. Fresh food isn't available in a lot of areas and this makes it easier for both current residents and it reduces friction for people looking to move to these towns.

On the other hand, will a societal trend towards this lead to the creation of more food deserts? These services are not cheap, and food deserts tend to be in impoverished areas.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#62

Post by JumpCrisscross »

koolba wrote: post #44
nilkn wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've subscribed to Blue Apron before and, regarding waste, it doesn't seem much different from going to the grocery store. Meat ingredients like chicken breast, salmon, and beef are individually wrapped exactly like they are in the store. Blue Apron doesn't wrap all their produce (but they do wrap some of it); most people I know use a lot of plastic bags for produce when going to the grocery, so that's a small differ…

Aren't the meats shipped with dry ice / styrofoam?

Not in my experience. There is an ice pack, but it's just water in a recyclable package.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#63

Post by scottbez1 »

teen wrote: post #3

The amount of pollution / trash this company produces seems pretty counter to their mission statement.

My favorite was the single egg carton: https://i.imgur.com/tLAIx5Z.jpg

Sure, maybe it's not actually that much extra packaging compared to 1/12th of a normal egg carton, but it certainly felt ridiculous to receive in the mail...

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#64

Post by kafkaesq »

dominotw wrote: post #45
bkanber wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can ship the boxes, gel packs, and foil bag back to them for recycling. They give you a free shipping label. https://support.blueapron.com/hc/en-us/articles/202510818-Ho...

doesn't the carbon footprint of shipping it back offset the recycling?

That's a perfectly valid point, above, which definitely should not have been downvoted.

This business about "just ship it back to us and we'll recycle it" is obviously suspect. If anything it sounds like a scheme they came up with so they could check some box in some policy subscription about "offering recycling opportunities at all stages in the supply chain", or something similar. Even though when you think about, it's obviously how wasteful that "recycling" route is.

A loophole, in other words.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#65

Post by sbov »

htsh wrote: post #61

Seems waste has been covered well but I was curious about what people think about these services and how they relate to food deserts. I think there are at least a few interesting takes on this. First, this helps a ton. Fresh food isn't available in a lot of areas and this makes it easier for both current residents and it reduces friction for people looking to move to these towns. On the other hand, will a societal tr…

If you live in a food desert you probably can't afford Blue Apron. They tend to be very low income neighborhoods.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#66

Post by cle »

glup wrote: post #32

I hear a lot of my friends trying Blue Apron, but then canceling because of the 1) excessive packaging 2) excessive salt/sodium content 3) sudden inspiration to just go to a grocery store and learn more about cooking in general. For those of you on HN who have done BA for more than a year, what are your experiences? How do you balance it with other food sources (groceries, delivery food, going out, other services)?

I've been using BA for a while with my family (wife and son). We love it. We still buy a meal or two for the weekend at the grocery store (or Prime Now), along with the other household staples, but the meal planning is much easier now, and we really like how much less food we end up throwing away (e.g. unused produce). The other "waste" that is non-recyclable is negligible (little squirt packets of liquid), everything else is recyclable--boxes, ice packs, liquid bottles, veggie bags, etc.

The only thing we wish it had is support for dietary restrictions--my wife has celiac's and we have to work around that sometimes.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#67

Post by buxtehude »

glup wrote: post #32

I hear a lot of my friends trying Blue Apron, but then canceling because of the 1) excessive packaging 2) excessive salt/sodium content 3) sudden inspiration to just go to a grocery store and learn more about cooking in general. For those of you on HN who have done BA for more than a year, what are your experiences? How do you balance it with other food sources (groceries, delivery food, going out, other services)?

We occasionally (3x per month?) use BA or gobble (lately more gobble) - there are others we plan on trying soon too. For us, it mostly provides a change of pace and tends to inspire our own cooking. We often add additional ingredients to what they send us. I would agree with the concerns of excessive packaging. While these services save me a trip to the grocery store, I still need to cook it and it always takes me longer than what they say.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#68

Post by fovc »

nilkn wrote: post #36
paulcole wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They are trying to help people cook healthy food, they are doing a good thing I don't think the idea that they're "doing a good thing" is so cut and dry. Aren't they producing an astounding amount of waste? And aren't the working conditions uncomfortable at best? https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolineodonovan/the-not-so-wholeso...

I've subscribed to Blue Apron before and, regarding waste, it doesn't seem much different from going to the grocery store. Meat ingredients like chicken breast, salmon, and beef are individually wrapped exactly like they are in the store. Blue Apron doesn't wrap all their produce (but they do wrap some of it); most people I know use a lot of plastic bags for produce when going to the grocery, so that's a small differ…

"Recyclable" is not a panacea. There's a rain it comes last in the 3 RS. (Reduce, reuse, recycle)

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#69

Post by chickenfries »

Terribledactyl wrote: post #28
bpodgursky wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plus, a lot of the additional cost is literally the cost of the gas spent delivering individual meal boxes to your door (which is pointless individual pollution).

That's a little disingenuous, they have a minimum order size, and consolidate delivery dates in an area to maximize route efficiency. A fully packed delivery truck in a densely subscribed area would be more efficient in terms of fuel than all of those individuals driving to the store. But yes, minimal customers, in a big area, buying few meals consecutively would be worse.

I dont buy that you can assume that delivery saves fuel. You're assuming everyone makes one full round trip from home to the grocery store every week, when most people incorporate it with their other errands, commute, etc.

Re: Blue Apron Files for IPO

#70

Post by cle »

dragonwriter wrote: post #25
sp332 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I recall when we had it, it was a lot less trash than going to the store and getting everything packaged individually. And I'm sure the shipping is less polluting than having all the customers drive around too.

Huh? The trash is a lot more than grocery shopping, because everything (except certain produce items) is still packages individually, and in much smaller containers for "pantry basics" that are used in small amounts in each recipe (vinegars, etc.), Plus there's the insulation and cold packs. > And I'm sure the shipping is less polluting than having all the customers drive around too. Grocery delivery is a thing, thou…

Almost everything is recyclable.

And there's a different kind of waste that is reduced by BA. Every week my wife and I would have to throw out unused produce that didn't divide evenly into our meals, and it is pretty significant unless you're an expert at meal planning. There is zero food waste with BA...

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