UK Prepared Meal Price & Protein Index 2026
A living, independent analysis of 354 prepared meals from 8 UK services—built from the standard prices, nutrition and portion information those services publish.
Published 1 September 2026 · Catalogue data checked 26 September 2026
Executive summary
What the current market data says
- Across 247 meals publishing a comparable standard price, the meal-weighted median is £7.00.
- Across 354 meals publishing protein, the meal-weighted median is 32g per meal.
- 141 of 354 meals publishing protein reach at least 35g (40%).
- Eat Ping currently has the highest eligible provider median protein at 46.5g per meal.
Market snapshot
These are meal-weighted medians across the indexed market. Each card states how many meals published the input, so a missing field cannot silently become zero.
Market medians describe the indexed catalogue, not the average customer order. Compare individual meals in the meal catalogue when the exact dish matters.
The services in the index
Every live service with prepared meals appears below. “Not ranked” means the metric missed the five-meal or 50% coverage threshold—not that the service has a zero value.
| Service | Meals | Median price | Price range | Median protein | Median calories | Share with ≥35g proteinper published portion | £ / 25g protein | Format | Price coverage | Protein coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COOKIndexed fixed catalogue | 124 | £6.50 (124/124) | £4.25–£7.50 | 27.9g (124/124) | 426 kcal (124/124) | 23% (29/124) | £5.51 (124/124) | Frozen | 100% (124/124) | 100% (124/124) |
| Eat PingIndexed product catalogue | 40 | Not ranked | Not enough comparable data | 46.5g (40/40) | 700 kcal (40/40) | 85% (34/40) | Not ranked | Fresh / chilled | 0% (0/40) | 100% (40/40) |
| Field DoctorIndexed product catalogue | 45 | £8.29 (45/45) | £7.49–£8.79 | 27g (45/45) | 451 kcal (45/45) | 0% (0/45) | £7.80 (45/45) | Frozen | 100% (45/45) | 100% (45/45) |
| FooderyCurrent menu | 20 | Not ranked | Not enough comparable data | 35.5g (20/20) | 476 kcal (20/20) | 60% (12/20) | Not ranked | Fresh / chilled | 0% (0/20) | 100% (20/20) |
| FriveCurrent menu | 16 | £7.99 (16/16) | £4.99–£10.80 | 38.5g (16/16) | 536 kcal (16/16) | 75% (12/16) | £5.99 (16/16) | Fresh / chilled | 100% (16/16) | 100% (16/16) |
| HomeCooksIndexed marketplace catalogue | 39 | £7.95 (39/39) | £7.95–£7.95 | 35.1g (39/39) | 572 kcal (39/39) | 62% (24/39) | £5.66 (39/39) | Frozen | 100% (39/39) | 100% (39/39) |
| Prepped Pots (MuscleFood)Indexed fixed catalogue | 23 | £5.99 (23/23) | £4.99–£7.99 | 31.2g (23/23) | 400 kcal (23/23) | 30% (7/23) | £4.46 (23/23) | Frozen | 100% (23/23) | 100% (23/23) |
| Simmer EatsCurrent menu | 47 | Not ranked | Not enough comparable data | 34.1g (47/47) | 520 kcal (47/47) | 49% (23/47) | Not ranked | Fresh / chilled | 0% (0/47) | 100% (47/47) |
The ≥35g column is the share of assessable meals publishing at least 35g protein per portion. Figures in brackets show comparable meals / indexed prepared meals. Scroll within the table to compare rows; its headings stay pinned, and narrow screens can also scroll horizontally.
Which services publish the lowest standard meal prices?
The comparison uses a median rather than the cheapest headline dish, excludes introductory prices, and ranks only services with enough comparable menu coverage.
Prepped Pots (MuscleFood) has the lowest eligible provider median at £5.99, based on 23 priced meals.
Which services publish the most protein per meal?
Protein is compared per published portion. A higher median does not assess ingredients, salt, fibre, dietary suitability or overall healthfulness.
Eat Ping leads the eligible provider medians at 46.5g, based on 40 meals publishing protein.
For dish-level results, browse the high-protein prepared-meal guide.
What does 25g of protein cost?
This normalises standard price against published protein at meal level. It answers a narrow value question; it does not score taste, ingredient quality, portion satisfaction or nutrition as a whole.
Prepped Pots (MuscleFood) has the lowest eligible median at £4.46 per 25g protein, based on 23 meals with both inputs.
Calories and published portion sizes
Portion weight is included only where a service publishes it. Calories and grams are descriptive, not a judgement about whether a meal is appropriate for a particular person.
Fresh or frozen: what the data can support
Storage format affects planning and shelf life, but neither format is automatically better. We report a difference only when both groups meet the same sample and coverage threshold.
Fresh / chilled
123 meals indexed- Median price
- Not enough comparable data
- Median protein
- 40.2g (123/123)
- Median calories
- 539 kcal (123/123)
Frozen
231 meals indexed- Median price
- £7.00 (231/231)
- Median protein
- 29g (231/231)
- Median calories
- 462 kcal (231/231)
The fresh/chilled meal median is +11.2g versus frozen meals.
Price coverage is currently too low in at least one storage group for a reliable price-difference claim.
Methodology
Define the market
Include live UK prepared meals that arrive cooked for reheating. Exclude recipe boxes, archived or stale rows, and development fixtures.
Keep missing data missing
Use only values published by the service. A missing price, calorie, protein or portion figure never becomes zero or an estimate.
Apply one evidence threshold
Rank a provider metric only when at least five meals and at least half of its indexed prepared-meal catalogue publish the required input.
Use transparent medians
Calculate service medians from meal rows. For protein value, calculate each meal first, then take the median of those results.
Read the full KnowDish data methodology and our commercial independence policy.
Limitations
- Menus, prices and nutrition can change after the visible data-check date.
- Standard meal price does not include delivery, box-size discounts or premium-item surcharges.
- Catalogue size reflects records KnowDish can index, not necessarily every product ever sold.
- Published portions and nutrition methods can differ between services.
- The report does not assess taste, ingredient quality, clinical suitability or customer experience.
Downloadable data
Check or reuse the provider-level figures
The CSV is generated from the same calculations as this page and includes sample sizes and coverage for every service. Blank cells mean a metric did not meet the reporting threshold.
Using and citing this report
Please preserve the metric definition, sample size, data-check date and link back to this report when quoting a figure. Suggested citation:
Leah Zou, “UK Prepared Meal Price & Protein Index 2026”, KnowDish, data checked 26 September 2026, accessed [date], knowdish.com/reports/uk-prepared-meal-price-protein-index.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median price of a prepared meal in the UK?
In the 354 prepared meals currently indexed by KnowDish, the meal-weighted median standard price is £7.00, based on 247 meals publishing a comparable price.
Which prepared meal service has the highest median protein?
Eat Ping currently has the highest eligible provider median at 46.5g per meal, based on 40 meals publishing protein.
Which service gives the most protein for the money?
Prepped Pots (MuscleFood) currently has the lowest eligible median standard-price cost per 25g protein at £4.46, based on 23 comparable meals. This is a narrow protein-value measure, not an overall service score.
Are frozen prepared meals cheaper than fresh meals?
The current dataset does not have sufficient comparable price coverage in both storage groups to support a fresh-versus-frozen price difference claim.
Does the index include introductory discounts?
No. Price comparisons use current non-promotional standard meal prices held by KnowDish. Delivery charges, box-size discounts and premium-item surcharges may still change the checkout total.
How is cost per 25g protein calculated?
For each comparable meal, KnowDish divides its standard price by its published protein and multiplies by 25. The service figure is the median of those meal-level results, not a ratio of two provider averages.
How often is the report updated?
The report is rebuilt from the current KnowDish catalogue and revalidated hourly. The visible data-check date shows the latest provider or meal evidence included in the snapshot.