Dive Brief:

• Freshly plans to kick off 2021 with new lower-carb, protein-packed lunch and dinner entrees called FreshlyFit, the meal delivery company announced on Tuesday. 
• The new rotating menu features more than 25 gluten-free items starting at $8.49. Options include shepherd’s pie with ground beef and mashed cauliflower and butternut squash; baked turkey meatballs with butternut spirals and eight-vegetable ragù; and paleo pork chop with roasted vegetables and mushroom sauce. Customers can place orders now for four, six, 10 or 12 meals per week for delivery starting on Jan. 3, 2021. 
• Freshly said the new offerings are a result of growing customer demand for lower-carb meals, which fits a larger trend toward healthier meal options and elevated at-home dining.

Dive Insight:

With the new product line, nutrition-focused Freshly is continuing to lean into the healthy eating movement of recent years and capitalize on digital demand for meals.

In the announcement, Freshly said the new meals were developed by nutritionists and chefs with inspiration from paleo, ketogenic and “plant-forward” diets and that they are ready-to-eat in three minutes. More than one-third of the FreshlyFit meals don’t have any added sugars, the company said. 

Mike Wystrach, CEO and founder of Freshly said in the announcement that more than 60% of customers have expressed interest in lower-carb meals in the past year, noting that the novel coronavirus pandemic has fueled new consumer interest in nutrition. 

Already, Freshly touts its dairy-, gluten- and soy-free options that are naturally sweetened. FreshlyFit is yet another way for the company to position itself in the crowded meal delivery space, which is seeing grocers as well as direct competitors like Blue Apron embrace healthy and quick-prep meal offerings. 

The new meals are just one part of the New York-based meal company’s plans for next year. Freshly, which was recently acquired by Nestlé, is looking to boost meal production capacity by 20% and increase order fulfillment capacity by 22% with a new facility in California. Another four to five new facilities are also being planned for next year, Wystrach said in an October interview.

The company is also working to speed up its delivery, with the goal of offering next-day service: “We’re not going to compete with Uber Eats or DoorDash, but we do want to get it to you faster. That’s going to be a big goal for us over the next year to three years,” Wystrach said in October.