Ready-meal prep and delivery
Cook portioned, ready-to-heat meals in a rented kitchen and deliver them to local households.
- C$2k-10k
- Part-time
- Own premises
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in Canada, not guarantees.
What it is
You prepare weekly meal packs in a approved commercial or shared kitchen, then deliver or arrange pickup. Customers order from a set weekly menu or a custom plan.
Your first three steps
- Contact your local public health unit to ask what approvals you need to sell prepared meals
- Find a commissary or shared kitchen to rent by the hour and test a small menu
- Pre-sell a first batch to 10 local households and collect feedback
Who pays
Busy families, professionals, new parents and people wanting healthy meals without cooking.
How it makes money
Price per meal or per weekly pack, with subscriptions for repeat customers. Batch cooking lets you serve more households per cooking day.
Skills that help
- Batch cooking and portioning
- Costing recipes and pricing
- Food safety and labelling
- Scheduling orders and deliveries
Watch out for
- Selling prepared food usually needs an inspected kitchen and a permit from your local public health unit, check before taking orders
- Food labelling and allergen rules, check with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and your province
- Commercial general liability and product liability insurance
- Kitchen rental, packaging and delivery costs can squeeze margins, cost each meal carefully
- Delivery in winter weather and cold-chain food safety
- Quebec has its own rules and French-language labelling requirements
Deep research report · Canada
Everything you need to start: ready-meal prep and delivery
Researched with live web search for Canada: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a ready-meal delivery business in Canada?
Startup costs are typically estimated at around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on kitchen rental, packaging and delivery set-up. Cost each meal carefully, as these running costs can squeeze margins.
How much revenue can a meal prep and delivery business make?
Estimates suggest monthly revenue of typically around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on how many weekly packs you sell and your prices. Plan for roughly 15 hours a week at the lower end.
What permits do I need to sell ready meals in Canada?
Things to check: selling prepared food usually needs an inspected kitchen and a permit from your local public health unit, so check before taking orders. Also check food labelling and allergen rules with the CFIA and your province, plus Quebec's French-language labelling.
Other ways to run this business
Similar food ideas
Online Japanese sweets and snack boxes
Sell Japanese snacks and candy online across Canada, as single items or monthly snack boxes.
- C$2k-10k
- Side hustle
- Online
Office box lunch delivery
Prepare packed lunch boxes in a rented kitchen and deliver them to offices for meetings and team days.
- C$2k-10k
- Part-time
- Own premises
Dried fruit and nut market stall
Sell dried fruit, nuts and snack mixes at farmers' markets and seasonal fairs, without renting a shop.
- C$3k-10k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Deli platters and lunch orders
Prepare deli-style sandwich trays, meat and cheese platters and salads to order for offices and gatherings.
- C$2k-10k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Home-run supplier of dry goods and takeout packaging
Take orders online and deliver shelf-stable ingredients and packaging to local cafes, caterers and food trucks.
- C$2k-10k
- Side hustle
- From home
Gourmet food boxes and market stall
Sell curated specialty foods and gift boxes online and at local markets without renting a shop.
- C$2k-10k
- Side hustle
- Online