The “first of its kind” partnership also is a bold business move that positions the company to tap directly into a significant and under-served consumer-base of 30 million people living with diabetes and 86 million living with prediabetes in America.
Through the partnership, Chef’d will work closely with the ADA’s registered dietitians to develop “tasty, balanced recipes with fresh ingredients” that “meet the Association’s nutritional guidelines for people living with diabetes,” according to the meal kit company.
In addition, the arrangement is a way to make eating healthy meals a sustainable habit by making it convenient and exciting to cook a wide variety of meals made from ingredients that are nutritious, popular, vibrantly flavored and delivered right to consumers’ doors, according to a release.
“When we had the opportunity to work with the ADA, we found an incredible opportunity to help a large part of America that have diabetes or are fighting off pre-diabetes,” Kyle Ransford, CEO & Founder of Chef’d, explained to FoodNavigator-USA.
“We view this as part of our mission; to provide people with solutions for their lifestyle need,” he added. “We have the opportunity to make it incredibly convenient for those with diabetes – to educate these populations that you can eat great food within your dietary restrictions or goal.”
To achieve this ambitious objective, the meal kit company also will work with “world class chefs to build incredible tasting meals that are specific to this lifestyle,” and available for order any time without a membership or subscription fee, Ransford said.
This ability to order specific meal kits from a long, diverse menu of choices at any time is another distinguishing element of the company’s business model, which differs from most other services that offer a limited but rotating selection of meals during different time periods.
Offering diabetic-friendly meals also is a personal mission
The partnership is more than a smart business move for Chef'd. It is also personal for Ransford.
He explained that when he was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, his doctor had little guidance for how to manage his condition.
“The doctor told me that I had to eat better and exercise, to which I responded, ‘I didn’t need to come here to know that, what do you suggest?’ and I found that doctors have limited suggestions,” he said.
“We hope the Chef’d can be a solution for these situations – even if it is by starting to eat ADA meals just a few days a week and conveniently making progress to a goal of a new lifestyle that is not based on absence, but rather switching to different and tasty meals.”
The meals will be available for order starting July 25.