{
  "id": 3828244,
  "title": "Complaints Pile Up for 2 Popular Meal Kit Services Amid Missing Ingredients and Poor Customer Service",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/complaints-pile-up-for-2-popular-meal-kit-services-amid-missing",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-27T21:28:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNET",
    "slug": "cnet",
    "url": "https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/complaints-pile-up-for-2-popular-meal-kit-services-amid-missing-ingredients-and-poor-customer-service/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two popular meal kit services—Marley Spoon and Blue Apron—have faced a surge of complaints due to missing ingredients and poor customer service. The issues began in July following bankruptcy filings by Marley Spoon’s former food supplier, FreshRealm, which also supplied Blue Apron.\n\nCustomers, such as Sylvia Turcotte, who had been a Marley Spoon subscriber for over six years, reported receiving deliveries with melted ice, warm protein, and questionable produce. In August, Turcotte received a box that was supposed to contain 27 ingredients, but was missing 21 of them. Turcotte expressed frustration over the brand’s lack of resolution and called for a suspension of the meal plan until the logistics were addressed.\n\nOther Marley Spoon customers have also shared their dissatisfaction, including receiving boxes with missing protein and no response from customer service when inquiring about damaged or incomplete boxes. The transition from FreshRealm to Misfits Market, the new fulfillment provider, has been challenging, with inventory issues posing a significant hurdle.\n\nMarley Spoon has offered customers credits for future orders when issues arise, but some customers have been denied refunds or credits. When attempting to receive a refund instead of a credit, some customers reported no response or only being directed to the website or app, not a direct line of communication.\n\nMarley Spoon’s spokesperson stated that the brand takes the fulfillment issues seriously and is working around the clock to ensure customers receive their orders correctly and on time. Martha Stewart remains affiliated with the brand, with select recipes featured weekly, but operations are managed independently.\n\nBlue Apron has also faced similar issues, with the company temporarily focusing on what it can deliver, adding quality checks before shipping, and working with partners to fix the problems. Customers have echoed the complaints about Marley Spoon, particularly the lack of response from customer service. Despite their loyalty, some customers have decided to cancel their subscriptions entirely, losing any accrued credits in the process.",
  "summary": "Unhappy customers told CNET they’ve experienced missing ingredients and lack of customer service, from the well-rated meal kit service.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}