College students often lack the time and money to buy their own groceries and prep their own meals which has put them at risk for making poor dietary choices that can cause significant health problems, according to a study done by the Bethel College School of Nursing.

Blue Apron, Green Chef, SunBasket and Hello Fresh are just four of the many companies that deliver meal kits and already prepared food right to your door.

In an 82-page report titled “Is the Kitchen Dead?” investment bank, UBS, forecast delivery sales could rise an annual average of more than 20% to $365 billion worldwide by 2030, from $35 billion.

“Some consumers, especially millennials, are willing to spend more time preparing food because they value freshness, but they still want to get out of the kitchen fairly quickly,” stated Consumer Reports.

This is true for many of us who have part-time jobs, extracurricular activities or families to take care of. Students would rather pull up to the nearest Taco Bell drive thru than to invest in their health.

“The most important thing for college students is food,” said Nathan Spracklen who is the Operations Director of the California based meal delivery service, Model Meals.

It is a no subscription required, Whole30/Paleo approved and ready to eat meal prep service that is delivered fresh twice a week, according to the the Model Meals website. Prices range from $9-$15/per meal.

“Accessibility is essential for peak performance,” said Spracklen. “There are so many scientific evidence as to what our body can do once we adapt to clean eating. Our job is to make our consumer’s lives easier by providing high quality food at an affordable price right to their doorstep.”

Cassandra Quero, a senior from University of California Santa Cruz, spoke about how one company helped her discover her passion for cooking and made her achieve her weight loss goal.

“I gained the Freshman 15 and kept it until my Junior year last year,” explained Quero. “My auntie gave me a $30 off gift card for Hello Fresh so I subscribed and ordered my first meal plan. Not only were the meals delicious, it also taught me how to cook and prevented me from eating out all the time. A year and sixteen pounds later, I’m feeling better than I ever did.”

These delivery services are not the only option. Students have the ability to meal prep at their own leisure as well. The fact that they do not have to go through a whole process of going to the grocery store, looking up recipes, prepping, cooking, cleaning up and having it in the freezer for a week until it becomes bad, is also beneficial.

The convenience and freshness is already there, no need to worry if they can squeeze in a trip to Whole Foods during finals week.