Meal kits received a boost from COVID-related home cooking in 2020, but it appears that prepared meals may gain market share in 2021. As the economy recovers, consumers will be disinclined to spend time 
in their kitchens preparing meals from scratch. Ready-to-heat offers advantages in terms of convenience as personal time becomes more valuable. Effectively this segment of the market represents an upgraded and vastly improved third-generation of the “TV Dinner” of the 1950s and 1960s.
Nestle recently acquired Freshly, the largest supplier of ready-to-eat meals. HelloFresh should benefit from the trend and is expanding menus and generating additional business through the purchase of Factor75.
Food Market values the direct-to-consumer meal segment at $1 billion with considerable competition from supermarket chains. Major banners offer both meal kits and prepared meals in addition to packaged deli options and salad and hot bars (when COVID restrictions are lifted).