With so many meal plan providers out there, who is handling your food?
CLEAN EATZ TOP TIPS FOR PICKING A MEAL PLAN PROVIDER
Certification:
Who's inspecting the safety and quality of the meal plan production? You'll want to know what certifications the production kitchen carries. If you're eating meals from a provider 5-10+ times a week, the sanitation standards become much more important than when you choose a restaurant for a single meal. Inspection standards to keep in mind:
- Local Meal Prep Provider - If inspected by the local health department, they are probably inspected 2-4 times a year for cleanliness. Health departments do not verify the accuracy of labeling
- FDA-Certified Provider - If inspected by the FDA, they are probably inspected once a year for cleanliness. The FDA does do label-checks to verify the accuracy of ingredients
- USDA-Certified Provider - If inspected the USDA, the company is inspected daily. The USDA has an office on-site, and they verify both the cleanliness and accuracy of labels every day.
Accuracy:
Who's calculating the macros? It's actually very difficult for food manufacturers to calculate the macro and micronutrients of meals, in addition to ingredients. It requires a long process of sourcing, menu building, and food production. Each of our meals takes two months to come to fruition. You should be weary of meal prep providers who don't provide full nutrition and ingredient statements. For example, listing a sauce as "BBQ Sauce" on a label is not a USDA-compliant nor FDA-compliant disclosure. For FDA and USDA inspected kitchens, you have to list every ingredient in the BBQ Sauce and make an allergen disclosure for any of the Big 8 Allergens. This kind of focus on ingredients leads to accurate macro and micronutrient calculations. If your provider is not FDA or USDA-inspected, no one is verifying the accuracy of their label claims.
Trustworthiness:
Does the chef have your best interest in mind? Are the meals truly healthy? You'll want to look behind the curtain a bit to see if health-minded people are working at the company. Many meal prep companies are divisions of large multinational corporations that have a singular focus on the bottom line. Clean Eatz was founded by competitive bodybuilders and retains a sports dietitian on staff. We embody the vision for our meals and our company every day.
RESULTS START HERE:
- Clean Eatz is USDA and FDA certified to produce and ship meals.
- Clean Eatz compiles all macros based on information from FDA and USDA regulated, nutritional databases
- Clean Eatz has developed a network of well-established sourcing partners to ensure only the freshest, highest quality ingredients are sourced
- As fitness experts, Clean Eatz founders have personally chosen every franchise owner
