What Goods and Services Will Be Produced

• Best overall: The FruitGuys
• Best budget: Misfits Market
• Best for "ugly" produce: Imperfect Foods
• Best organic: Farmbox Direct
• Best for unique finds: Tropical Fruit Box
• Highest quality: Farmer Jones Farm

Like other grocery delivery services, produce delivery services deliver food straight to your door but typically limit their offerings to fresh fruit and vegetables.

These boxes are a great way to save money on fresh food, try new and seasonal produce, and save time on grocery shopping.

While some services focus on fruits and vegetables that can't be sold due to minor blemishes or size irregularities, others focus on sending out the highest quality produce possible.

Healthline assembled this list of the best produce delivery services based on the following criteria:

• Variety of produce. The produce delivery services on this list offer a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Availability. Although there are several local and regional produce delivery services across the United States, this list only includes those that are available nationwide.
• Sustainability. This list highlights services that use reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable packaging.

Here are the 6 best produce delivery services of 2021.

Best overall

The FruitGuys

The FruitGuys is a delivery service offering fresh produce and healthy packaged snacks for individuals, families, and even schools and offices.

With locations across the country, each box arrives at your door in 2 days or fewer to ensure quality and freshness.

When ordering, customers choose between organic or conventionally grown produce boxes, with the exact selection varying depending on your region and the time of year.

Produce boxes start at $32 each for 16 servings. Shipping is free to most areas but may cost up to $10 for certain locations.

While the shipping boxes are recyclable, the company's in-house box return program is temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Best budget option

Misfits Market

Misfits Market takes organic fruits and vegetables that can't be sold by grocery stores due to their physical appearance and offers them at a discounted price.

While the produce may have been turned away due to physical blemishes, deformities, or irregularities in size, it's still perfectly safe and delicious to eat.

Customers can choose between the Mischief package, which offers 1–2 portions of 12 types of produce in each shipment, or the Madness package, which offers 2–4 portions of 14 types.

At $22 and $35, respectively, plus $5.50 shipping per box, Misfits Market is one of the most affordable produce delivery services.

In terms of sustainability, all of the packaging is eco-friendly or reusable — including the company's biodegradable produce bags.

Best for 'ugly' produce

Imperfect Foods

Formerly called Imperfect Produce, Imperfect Foods is another produce delivery service providing fruits and vegetables that can't be sold at grocery stores for superficial reasons.

However, in addition to produce, the company recently expanded to offer additional grocery items — hence the name change.

Prices start at $22 for a box of 17–19 pounds (7.7–8.6 kg) of seasonal fresh produce, plus $6.99 for shipping.

Meats, plant-based meat alternatives, eggs, dairy products, pantry staples, snacks, and beauty products can be added for an additional cost.

In addition to reducing food waste, Imperfect Foods prioritizes sustainability by using minimal packaging materials that are recyclable or reusable.

Best organic

Farmbox Direct

Farmbox Direct offers customizable boxes of organic or conventionally grown produce.

In addition to choosing between all conventional or all organic produce, customers pick from three order sizes, as well as the type of produce delivered — fruits only, vegetables only, or a combination of both.

The company also offers three juicing boxes each week for those with a juicer at home.

Prices range from $33–$57.95 per box. Once you've made your selection, you can add other grocery items to your order for an additional cost.

Deliveries typically arrive within 1–5 business days and can be shipped throughout the continental United States. While shipping is free, there's a $5.98 handling fee on all orders.

Farmbox Direct's packaging is environmentally friendly, with both the boxes and packaging materials being fully recyclable.

Best for unique finds

Tropical Fruit Box

While more expensive than other produce delivery services, Tropical Fruit offers specialty produce that you can't get from other companies, such as mangosteen, rambutan, and red bananas.

Don't let the name fool you — in addition to a wide selection of fruit, Tropical Fruit Box also offers hard-to-find root vegetables, such as yuca, taro, and bitter melon.

To order, simply choose from one of the company's single-type or assorted produce boxes, or get creative and select your own custom mix.

Prices range from $49–$149 depending on the size of your order. Shipping is free, but you can pay extra to expedite your order.

Produce is shipped in recyclable cardboard boxes and packaged using other recyclable and biodegradable packing materials.

Highest quality

Farmer Jones Farm

Farmer Jones Farm is part of a larger company called The Chef's Garden, which has supplied produce for fine dining restaurants for over 30 years.

While not organic, the farm prides itself on offering high quality fresh vegetables grown in a regenerative agriculture style, meaning that the crops are rotated to maximize the health and mineral content of the soil.

Farmer Jones Farm also stands out for the quality of its vegetables, with reviewers noting how the produce is consistently fresh and delicious.

The company offers a variety of mixed vegetable boxes to choose from, starting at $69 per order with free shipping.

You can also purchase select single vegetables along with honeycomb, teas, and marmalades — all of which are grown or made on the company's farm.

Farmer Jones Farm uses mostly recyclable or reusable materials, including cardboard boxes, paper bags, clamshell containers, box liners, and ice packs.

When choosing a produce delivery service, the first thing to consider is the delivery area.

While the companies on this list provide nationwide shipping, many other produce delivery services are only available in certain regions.

One benefit of a regional delivery service is that it's more likely to ship to your home faster and offer locally grown produce. However, certain areas may only be serviced by larger nationwide companies.

You'll also want to choose a produce delivery service that aligns with your values.

For example, if organic produce is important to you, several companies — such as Farmbox Direct and Misfits Market — offer exclusively organic shipments.

Likewise, if sustainability is a high priority, you'll want to choose a box that uses recyclable, reusable, or minimal packaging, such as Imperfect Foods.

Alternatively, if you prioritize buying local over home delivery, you may want to consider purchasing a community-supported agriculture (CSA) box from a local farm.

While many farms won't deliver directly to your home, CSA boxes are a great way to enjoy locally grown fruits and vegetables that are as fresh and seasonal as possible. Plus, you'll be supporting farmers in your community.

Produce delivery services ship fresh fruits and veggies directly to your door, sometimes for a lower cost than purchasing them at the grocery store.

Some specialize in "ugly" produce — fruits and vegetables passed over for cosmetic reasons — while others provide hard-to-find or sustainably grown options. Many also ship nationwide and offer boxes at a variety of price points.

The list above can help you find the service that best fits your budget and preferences.

What Goods and Services Will Be Produced

Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/produce-delivery

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