HelloFresh? No. ByebyeFresh

Published on January 6, 2026

Summary

I'm canceling my HelloFresh subscription because they moved to using AI for everything, and it's causing problems.

I had a trial of HelloFresh. I was hopeful it was going to work for me. But they’ve switched to AI for everything. And that’s not for me, so bye bye.

A cardboard box with food showing above the top of the box. The branding says ByeByeFresh.

What is HelloFresh?

HelloFresh is a service where you can select meals and you receive a delivery with the exact amount of ingredients you need for that recipe, along with instructions.

HelloFresh advantages

This is a great service. It’s not a cheap way to eat. But it’s also not super expensive. For me, there were many advantages:

  • Don’t have to think about what I’m doing. It’s all there and easy to put together.
  • Generally quick. Under half hour for most of what I tried.
  • Not having to buy more than I need.
  • Easy try of new dishes with new flavor profiles.

You might think it’s ironic coming from someone who is classically trained as a chef and worked in some private clubs and Michelin-starred restaurants. But when I’m struggling with lack of energy or brain fog or stress or a combination of those, this service looked to be a life saver.

HelloFresh disappointing

We had to throw out our first delivery because the ingredients had expired before arrival.

The second delivery was hit and miss.

The third delivery was great.

But there’s no way to notify food allergies. And they no longer list all ingredients in sachets. So for me with a severe crustacean allergy, I’m playing Russian roulette if there’s shrimp paste in one of their mix but it’s not written anywhere.

Introducing AI

But more than that. They’ve emailed to boast about it using to take three months from starting a new recipe to being able to offer it, but now it’s 3 hours for the process.

Turns out they are now leveraging AI. They generate recipes using AI. They generate dish photos using AI. They generate packing lists using AI.

For me, it’s more like “Degenerate AI”…

I have no interest in AI conceived dishes that will never even possibly look like a photo (keep in mind I’m a chef by training and I’ve done food photography for years).

ByeByeFresh

Soooo.

We’re cancelling our 4th and 5th orders, and our subscription.

ByebyeFresh