Between busy schedules and overcrowded supermarkets, online grocery delivery has grown in popularity over the years as a convenient and practical shopping solution. Having high-quality groceries delivered to your door without having to stand in a line or visit the store is the ultimate time-saver. But costs for premium services like these can be expensive, and many options aren’t the most sustainable.
Imperfect Foods, one of the latest online grocers that delivers nationwide, aims to solve that problem by providing affordable and sustainably-minded groceries on its platform. But is the service worth it, and how does it compare to Misfits Market? I’m a registered dietitian and I tried the service for over a month to feed my family of three to find out. We also had a panel of seven testers try out the service for real-life feedback. Here’s everything you need to know about Imperfect Foods, including costs and if it’s hard to cancel.
At a Glance
Imperfect Foods at a glance
At a Glance
Imperfect Foods at a glance
Cons
- Some issues with delivery
- Order minimum and shipping fee
- Somewhat limited selection
What is Imperfect Foods?
This online grocery delivery service aims to build a more accessible and less wasteful food system. The site offers a wide variety of sustainable and affordable groceries on a weekly subscription model. Shop everything from farm-fresh produce, pantry essentials, animal- and plant-based proteins, dairy products and dairy-alternative items, beverages, snacks and more. Just like the name suggests, some of the groceries may have some minor cosmetic quirks, irregular sizes or surplus items, but they are still perfectly good and safe to eat — using these products prevents them from going to waste. “I love the convenience of having food delivered and I like Imperfect’s mission,” one tester said.
Imperfect Foods vs. Misfits Market
Both brands are online grocers driven towards sustainable and cost-conscious practices. Last September, Misfits Market announced that they would be acquiring Imperfect Foods. A representative from Imperfect Foods and Misfits Market told us that in the short-term, both brands will continue separate operations and you’ll notice that the delivery boxes are co-branded. As an Imperfect Foods customer, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Misfits Perks loyalty program and get access to the Misfits Market wine program. Essentially the brands are no longer competitors but are combining efforts to make sure their mission of bringing sustainable and affordable goods to households across the country are amplified by working together.
How does Imperfect Foods work?
Start by signing up and sharing how you like to shop through a quick quiz on the service’s website. Imperfect Foods will then assign you a shopping window and delivery day based on your location. My delivery day is Thursdays, with my “shopping window” open from Saturday to Monday.
Each week, you’ll have a cart that is pre-filled with items based on your preferences and also what’s in season. You can edit your cart and completely customize it, as long as you do so before the shopping window ends. “I like that it automatically builds a unique cart for you,” one tester said. “It put in ingredients I wouldn’t normally purchase on a day-to-day (ex. rainbow chard, squash, etc.). But for anything I didn’t want, I could swap out and add something of my choosing.”
Interestingly, you don’t place an actual order — just update the cart before the shopping window ends and once the window closes, the order automatically gets placed. The system is smart for busy families who may not have the time to place an order but just need an assortment of groceries delivered to their home in a consistent and timely manner. However, one tester didn’t care for this and said “I don’t like how as soon as you sign up, they place food in your cart, so if you aren’t paying attention, you’re automatically paying.”
I personally found the overall selection a bit limited compared to other online grocer platforms, but that’s the nature of a sustainable service like this that caters to what’s in season. Most of the time, I was able to find what I was looking for or a suitable alternative. “I liked most of the options they had (although even more variety/options would be great) and I also like the fact that the brand tries to be sustainable and sell ‘imperfect’ foods so it doesn’t go to waste,” one tester said. Imperfect Foods does however offer both perishable and non-perishable items, including produce which is hard to find on certain other online grocery services such as Thrive Market.
Where does Imperfect Foods ship and what is delivery like?
Imperfect Foods delivers to all zip codes in the continental United States. They currently do not service Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or anywhere outside the U.S.
After the window closes, Imperfect Foods will start packing your order and deliver your box on the designated delivery day. Deliveries are done on the same day every week to reduce emissions, but some testers said they were frustrated that they couldn’t pick their delivery date or window themselves. My biggest issue with the service came with delivery — it seems that the brand is sorting out some delivery kinks now that it has merged with Misfits Market. I had two boxes that were cancelled without notice last minute, and another that was pending delivery and eventually I was told by customer service that it was lost. Those experiences were really frustrating, especially since I had to scramble for groceries those weeks when I didn’t have the time to get to the store. That being said, Imperfect Foods did refund me and give me a credit, and customer service was very responsive on the platform.
We’ve had several GH+ testers try Imperfect Foods before the merger as well as Misfits Market, and they noted no issues with delivery for both services, so I’m hopeful that as the brands iron out the kinks of the merger that issues like this with delivery will be resolved since both companies have proved reliable for us in the past. One tester said, “The delivery experience was especially excellent because you can track in real time exactly where your driver is. Most delivery service give a wide window, so I found this very helpful.” Another commented, “I had no delivery problems, and they let me know as soon as it was delivered through text.”
When the items did arrive on other deliveries, I was pleasantly surprised — everything came in good condition, even the eggs which I was nervous about came carefully packed in thick bubble wrap and not one was broken. Some of the produce is loose in the box, but items are in an insulated package. The produce itself was better than I expected — given the name, you’d assume items would indeed be imperfect, but there really wasn’t much of a difference in the produce quality than what I would find at the store. All of the produce felt fresh and I was even able to get some items in their full form, like carrots with the actual stems on them. “Everything was stored properly, which was nice! And they separated any produce and actual meats,” one tester said.
How much does Imperfect Foods cost?
It’s free to sign up for Imperfect Foods and there are no subscription fees or service costs like there are with some other services. Depending on your zip code, Imperfect Foods will charge a delivery fee starting at $5.99 and will require a $15 order minimum to ship. This is a much lower delivery fee than other services like Amazon Fresh, but is still an added cost to consider. The overall food costs seemed quite similar to what I’d find in the grocery store, with the exception of a few items that were “imperfect” and at a slightly discounted price. Prices were relatively on par or a bit lower than other online grocery delivery services too.
Is it hard to cancel Imperfect Foods?
We’ve previously reported on other services like Thrive Market being difficult to cancel. But Imperfect Foods makes it easy to adjust your subscription or cancel your account without even having to contact customer service. If you need a break from weekly orders, you can skip a few orders or even pause your subscription. You can also swap to their Flex Plan, which is subscription free with no pre-filled carts and only charges you for an order if you choose to shop and if your cart meets the order minimum. If you want to fully cancel your account, you need to first swap to their Flex Plan and then you can simply click a button under your account to cancel — no need to chat with customer service.
The bottom line: Is Imperfect Foods worth it?
I was impressed with the quality of foods upon delivery and was introduced to some new seasonal items that I would have otherwise not tried if it wasn’t for Imperfect Foods suggesting it in my cart. I like that the service doesn’t charge any yearly fees, and the pre-filled cart option has its pros and cons. But it seems the brand is having some growing pains as it merges with Misfits Market, given some issues I had with delivery. Customer service was lovely though and did rectify any situations I encountered. Ultimately, I’m confident that the service will sort out the kinks as it solidifies its partnership with Misfits Market. For now, I think it’s a great option for some groceries on the side but I won’t be relying on it for my sole grocery ordering.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
As director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., handles all nutrition content, product testing and evaluation. She stays up to date on the latest research to provide evidence-based reporting on all things diet and nutrition, and she also runs large-scale tests and analysis for products ranging from protein bars and supplements to meal delivery services. As a busy working mother, Stefani relies on online grocery services regularly to feed her family and is well versed in the current services and apps available. She personally tested Imperfect Foods for over a month with her family.
Nutrition Lab Director
Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, where she handles all nutrition-related content, testing and evaluation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. She is also Good Housekeeping’s on-staff fitness and exercise expert. Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family.