8 Best Senior Meal Delivery Services of 2021

The over-50s crowd are more and more relying on meal delivery services to take the pain out of mealtimes, removing the need for trips to the supermarket and standing in the kitchen for hours on end. 

But which companies are the best at offering a health-conscious, reliable, and customer friendly service to seniors? We tested and reviewed the competition, and found the best valued options for the senior population.

Are you really hungry? Here’s our quick list of the best senior meal delivery services of 2021

• Freshology – Health-specific meal plans that promise to deliver on taste
  

• Diet To Go
  

• Silver Cuisine
  

• Click here to see 5 more senior meal delivery services

• Comparison table

• FAQ

What We Look for in the Best Senior Meal Delivery Services

1. Health and Lifestyle requirements: Improve your health with calorie controlled, heart-healthy meals and plans designed for specific disease prevention.

2. Value for money: High quality, great tasting meals at a reasonable price.

3. A varied and customizable menu: A variety of options for all tastes, with the ability to pick and choose favourites and permanently remove items you don’t enjoy.

4. Ease of use/customer focused service: You shouldn’t have to be a tech-whizz to order the meals you deserve.

1. Freshology – Best Variety of Meals Available 

 What I Liked:

• Over 250 meal options, by far the most variety

• A focus on taste, with chef created meals

• Quick and easy preparation

What I Didn’t Like:

• Expensive weekly delivery

• A contemporary website that may confuse senior users

Freshology appears to have the most choice of meal plans, and it is easy to request preferences or exclude certain foods (for example, there is an option to exclude all seafood at checkout, which appealed to me as a user!). 

The company thrives on supporting customers to achieve their weight loss goals, however they appeal to all age-groups. 

Their superior variety and specific cholesterol and heart-healthy focused meals provide the same healthy meal options as other senior-focused providers.

With 25 years of experience, Freshology is certainly a trusted name in the market. However, you should keep in mind that their services are not specifically senior focused and they have pricier delivery options.

2. Diet-to-Go – Best Weight-Loss Community

 What I Liked: 

• Government-approved health and safety approval

• Diabetic and Keto-Carb specific menus available

 What I Didn’t Like:

• The site is geared toward customers who wish to lose weight

• Lack of focus on customer service

Diet-to-Go is a serious plan for those whose intention is to lose weight.

Although many seniors are struggling with their weight, this is an aggressive weight loss plan that may not suit users of all ages. You can find similar food options in other services that are specifically geared towards the over-50’s.

Diet-to-Go boasts an impressive weight loss community and app, but this may not appeal to the less tech-savvy senior. 

However, for seniors who do enjoy the online community and have weight loss as their main target for choosing a meal delivery service, Diet-to-Go offers a similar variety in meals and options as the higher ranking plans, and may be a suitable choice for some.

3. Silver Cuisine – Best All Around Meal Delivery for Seniors 

What I Liked:

• Food developed by a certified specialist

• Specifically geared toward seniors with a focus on elevating general health

• Flexibility – can stop the plan at any time

What I Didn’t Like:

• Delivery restricted to the continental United States.

• Unable to make individual ingredient substitutions in set meals

Silver Cuisine topped the charts as a senior meal delivery provider. Developed as a branch of BistroMD, Silver Cuisine stemmed from Dr. Caroline Cederquist’s passion for providing senior citizens with easy, quality meals aimed at keeping them in good health for longer.

It continues to offer high quality, health-conscious, and varied meal plans for customers of all dietary requirements. 

With over 150 meal options in each plan and options ranging across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, Silver Cuisine’s reasonable average meal prices stand above competition with similar variety. 

The company often runs special offers and discounts, and rewards regular customers. The website offers additional nutritional information, including descriptions of certain foods’ impact on the body, and blood sugar advice.

4. Magic Kitchen – Best for Seniors Undergoing Dialysis

 What I Liked:

• Speak with a service rep right at the start

• Specific plans for health issues such as heart health and diabetes

• Their A la Carte meals sold in pairs, which is perfect for senior couples

What I Didn’t Like:

• Many items were labelled as being out of stock

• Minimal promotional codes and deals

Magic Kitchen had an impressive focus on additional health requirements, such as catering for those who have kidney disease and are currently on dialysis.

Although Magic Kitchen states they cater specifically to seniors, their senior options seem more limited than other providers. There’s no other information specific to seniors, although the a la Carte meals are sold in pairs for senior couples to enjoy together.

A main issue with Magic Kitchen is that the meal options are limited, and many go out of stock super quickly.

5. Top Chef Meals - Best Food Quality

What I Liked:

• Designed to feel like a local restaurant with an excellent customer focus

• The option to add 50% more food for a nominal fee

• 100% satisfaction guarantee

• Option to choose side dishes and vegetables

What I Didn’t Like:

• More limited options (75 rotating meals and occasional specials)

• Less focus on nutrition (although they do have nutritional specification options) 

Top Chef began as a small New Jersey caterer and has grown into a national delivery service, while keeping the values of a family-friendly, satisfaction-focused company.

Its customer focus is exceptional, and if it wasn’t for the fact that the company is not specifically focusing on seniors or health longevity, they may have placed higher in the ranking. That said, they do offer a 15% discount for over-60’s.

They also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which many of the larger companies just do not honor. Personable, friendly, and determined to retain their excellent name, I feel that Top Chef Meals would not let you down. And if they did, they’d bend over backwards to make it right.

6. Freshly – Best Focus on Delivering Fresh Food

 What I Liked:

• Choose from 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 meals a week

• Focus on providing fresh food, nothing comes frozen

• The website was clear and helpful, with large text and appealing images

What I Didn’t Like:

• No meal plans available

• Relatively more expensive than other delivery options

Although Freshly offers food that is always gluten and peanut-free, the onus appears to be on the customer to select the right menu for their own requirements.

Unlike many of the other providers, there are no health condition-specific plans to select, which may be off-putting for seniors who know they have health restrictions but don’t understand how to avoid trigger foods. However, there is a vegan plan called Purely Plant.

Freshly is focused on providing users with fresh foods, meaning that they are not flash-frozen like most of the other providers, and instead arrive in a refrigerated package, which may appeal to seniors who do not want to sacrifice freshness in exchange for less time in the kitchen.

This perhaps explains why Freshly is in the priciest area of the market. It does offer a wide range of food choices, and the images of the food are certainly amongst the most visually appealing and interesting.

7. Meals on Wheels - Best Senior-Focused Meal Delivery Service

 What I Liked: 

• Offers nutritious meals, company, and health checks to isolated seniors

• Runs in most communities, ensuring seniors have the opportunity to eat a good meal every day

• The charity’s yearly costs per person mirror that of one day’s hospital stay

What I Didn’t Like:

• Does not run in every community

• The website is unclear as to exactly what users will expect with their meals, as it is governed by each local authority 

Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organisation that runs individual branches in most communities throughout the United States. It provides meals to financially-struggling seniors who may be isolated and vulnerable. 

Seniors receive a nutritious meal delivered by a volunteer who will stop for a chat and a health check. The health checks include home safety checks, such as looking for faulty wiring and loose floorboards. 

As this is a charity, the meals received can not be dictated in advance, although the charity will do their best to offer preferences to individuals if they can. 

The meals are intended to provide Government standard nutrition, but are limited in variety, and cannot offer specialist restrictions such as gluten-free or low carb.

8. Mom’s Meals – Best for Medicare Recipients

 What I Liked:

• Specialist options such as pureed food for those with difficulty swallowing

• Can qualify for Government Assistance and receive quality meals for free

• Informative articles for seniors on website, such as food and oral health

 What I Didn’t Like:

• Can only order if you’re a healthcare representative

• You have to register as a healthcare provider before having access offered meals

Mom’s Meals offers nutritional meals for seniors, delivered fresh to your door with the ability to keep the meals in your fridge for up to two weeks.

All meals in the General Wellness plan are between 400-700 calories, designed for senior users to maintain a healthy weight. There are also nine specialist healthcare options, such as plans for those with cancer, diabetes, and pureed foods. 

The website states that there are over 60 different combinations spanning breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you are over 65, disabled, require special assistance, or are receiving Medicare, you may qualify for discounted or free meals with Mom’s Meals.

Because of the company’s focus on higher quality foods for those in need of charitable aid, Mom’s Meals offers a meal delivery service similar to premium providers in terms of food range and specialist plans, but with the option for those who qualify to receive them for free.

Seniors Can Get the Best Value for Meals

All of the services we reviewed understand the need for seniors to receive health-focused, tasty meals that can be cooked quickly and easily while remaining varied from day to day. 

Seniors are promised freedom from the kitchen and the supermarket, preventing falls risks and the aches and pains that come from standing to prepare, cook, and clean when making meals. 

For busy seniors who value health and time away from the kitchen over extra money in the bank, we recommend Silver Cuisine because they offer a well-rounded service that promises food with lasting health benefits, variety of meals and plans, and reasonable prices, with a senior-focused community.

FAQ

Which meal delivery service is the best for choice? 

Freshology’s varied and colorful range of meals and plans was far superior to other meal delivery services. Catering to different health requirements and focusing on chef quality, there truly is something for everyone. Food aversions and allergies are also easy to eradicate from your plan.

Which meal delivery service is the cheapest?

Top Chef Meal’s flexible, walk-in-restaurant approach to the meals lets customers compile their dishes with select vegetables and side dishes for the price of an average lunch out.

The take-out approach to the service feels different to the other vendors, but it may not work for all seniors. The meals offered are limited and are less lean than both Freshology and Silver Cuisine’s standard meals.

Which meal delivery services offer free delivery? 

Unfortunately, at this time, none of the meal delivery services provide free delivery.

Are there meal delivery services without subscription plans? 

Silver Cuisine does not include a subscription and can be cancelled at any time.