Dive Brief:

• Sam’s Club has teamed up with meal delivery company Fresh n’ Lean to offer three plans for ready-to-eat meals exclusively available for delivery, the club retailer announced on Wednesday. 
• The meal bundles, which each include five organically sourced meals, are now available on Sam’s Club’s website for $58.98 for members or $53.98 for Plus members.
• Sam’s Club said the exclusive selection is a first of its kind for the retailer as it looks to fill a desire from members for healthy meal delivery.

Dive Insight:

For Sam’s Club, teaming up with Fresh n’ Lean can help differentiate its offerings from other clubs while also tapping into customer demand for healthier and easy-to-prepare meals. 

Sam’s Club said the partnership came about after Christa Breeden, a prepared foods merchant for the retailer, surveyed more than 5,100 members about offerings they would like. She contacted 40 companies about offering a meal delivery program before deciding that Fresh n' Lean was the best fit.  

The single-serve meals are organic, freshly made and not frozen, according to Sam's Club announcement, and can be prepared in an oven, microwave or on a stovetop. The exclusive meal plan options are:

• "Assorted," which includes salsa verde chicken, Cajun salmon and plant-based crab cake.
• "Vegetarian," which includes chili, tofu with rice and asparagus and barbecue jackfruit.
• "High Protein," which includes braised beef, cilantro lime steak and egg sausage. 

The meals could provide a boost for the club retailer's delivery business. Since the pandemic started, Sam's Club has rolled out new efforts aimed at boosting in-store traffic by reviving its in-store sampling program and growing curbside pickup. 

Retailers have partnered with meal kit companies in the past to offer in-store and online selections. With its new announcement, Sam's Club is tapping into the fresh meal delivery trend that companies like Nestlé-owned Freshly have pioneered. Unlike most of these online companies, Sam's Club is offering Fresh n' Lean meals as product bundles and isn't requiring shoppers to set up a subscription.

For Fresh n’ Lean, which was founded in 2010 by Laureen Asseo to help her dad combat his health issues with food, the partnership broadens its customer reach.

“It gives Fresh n’ Lean the ability to reach millions of Americans and further support our mission to redefine fast-food and really provide quality fuel for the body,” Asseo said in the announcement.