Ready meals for busy households

Busy families, professionals, new parents and people wanting healthy or special-diet meals without cooking.

Price per meal or weekly meal pack, often on subscription. Larger batches lower your cost per meal.

• Batch cooking and portion control
• Food safety, labelling and storage
• Costing recipes and pricing
• Organising orders and deliveries

• Food businesses generally register with the local council, and a home kitchen may not be approved, so check before cooking at home
• Food labelling rules including allergens, check with your state food authority and Food Standards Australia New Zealand guidance
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Cold storage and safe delivery temperatures
• ABN, and GST once your turnover reaches the threshold
• Leasing and fitting out your own commercial kitchen later would cost far more than hiring shared kitchen time

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $12,000, depending on kitchen hire, containers, insurance and delivery set-up. Hiring shared kitchen time would cost far less than leasing and fitting out your own commercial kitchen.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue of typically around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on how many households you cook for and how you price your menu. The estimate assumes at least about 12 hours a week.

Food businesses generally register with the local council, and a home kitchen may not be approved, so check before cooking at home. Also check allergen labelling rules with your state food authority and FSANZ guidance, plus insurance and safe delivery temperatures.