In the midst of the horse and donkey meat scandal that has Britains rethinking their dependence on convenience food, Japan may have come up with a more palatable solution.
Japanese Convenience store Lawson, in partnership with Yahoo!, has launched a ready-to-cook meal delivery service. Dubbed “Smart Kitchen,” the concept is a split combination of delivery and home cooking. A delivery service that offers all the ingredients for a home cooked meal to your doorstep.
As lives become faster paced, frozen foods have become a popular quick meal choice for Britains across the board. Easy to heat up and clean up, frozen food meals have become a staple in many refrigerators today. Frozen food is a growing trend that has become so popular that studies have shown there has been a decrease in the ability to cook. According to famous chef, Jamie Oliver, “This is the first time in British history that we have a number of people who cannot cook.” UK ministers have acknowledged this lack of cooking skills as a contributing factor to obesity. To battle the problems there have been suggestions to teach children how to cook, allowing children to grow into healthy adults with a nutritious knowledge of cooking techniques and recipes. BBC has reported various studies showing that cooking classes aimed at students have had positive impacts on eating habits by increasing their intake of fruit and vegetables.
With a variety of options including classic Chinese and Japanese side dishes like hijiki seaweed, as well as more western fare like burgers, the meals also incorporate fresh vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The ingredients are packaged individually meaning customers can simply throw it all in a pan and fry. The Smart Kitchen was launched on January 17, 2013 in Tokyo and has since received rave reviews, especially with its free delivery for Tokyo residents.
By CheRima Manayan
