If you were looking for a meal delivery service that caters to your entire family's needs, this is it: meet Schwan's. They have fried chicken for your kids, but they also have the gluten-free kind. If your child has a sweet tooth, they offer children-approved French toast pieces. For your parents, they offer meal options that are low in sodium. And for you, there is fresh fruit... and don't forget the pan-fried vegetables. Everybody's happy, which isn't common, right? Founded in 1952 by Marvin Schwan, the company currently employs more than 6,000 Customer Service Managers, catering to the needs of the many homes requesting Schwan's services. This company offers more than you ever thought possible in a meal delivery service, which means that you will find all of your needs to be met in a given place. Read on to find out if these services are meant to help you in the journey that you and your family are undertaking.

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The Good

Options
Money back guarantee
Gluten-free choices

They offer over 650 family classics, flash-frozen in order to preserve meals longer. Here's how it works: they want you to browse through their items until you've picked out your family's favorites. Once you've placed your order, they want you to choose your delivery date and preferred time frame. Finally, they make sure that you are satisfied with your order or your money back. They make sure that they prioritize customer service because they understand the importance of being satisfied with services offered. They offer many options in the gluten-free category. It is important to note that their gluten-free selections have been certified by the Celiac Support Association (CSA), which is stricter than the FDA, as the CSA requires foods to have less than five parts per million. Some options in this selection include white bread, brownie bites, blueberry streusel muffins, breaded chicken bites, pepperoni pizza, and a four-cheese pizza. Their LiveSmart options, a specialty of Schwan's, include oatmeal, fruit bars, edamame, spaghetti, sweet cut corn, guacamole, and lettuce wraps. Their vegetarian options are many, and they include Brussels sprouts, a vegetable medley, fresh-cut fruit plates, broccoli & cheese, asparagus, rice pilaf, fried rice, sweet potato fries, crispy waffle fries, and mashed potatoes. Aside from gluten-free, LiveSmart and vegetarian options, they offer alternatives that are low in sodium, low in calories, and have no added sugars. This is important to note because not all options offered by Schwan's are healthy, and these offer an alternative to that. If you want to give families the gift of great food and great memories, there are gift cards that range from $10 to $300, making it perfect for anything from a birthday, to Mother's Day, to Christmas. Ultimately, you decide if you like it enough to pass on the word, but since it has so many different options, everybody should find something that they like. You select the amount of money you want to give, then you select a gift card holder until finally you personalize the gift card holder, saying whom it's from, to whom it's being given, and writing a message.

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The Bad

Weight loss

This meal delivery service is, more than anything, like a grocery store. It has healthy products, but it also has the unhealthy ones. This is not a weight loss program, but it should still reduce the amount of deep-fried foods in which it offers. Americans' problems with obesity and heart disease have been directly correlated to food habits in the past, and they are only enforcing families to continue with these unhealthy habits despite their attempts to implement diet-based options. They should cook alternatives, trying to use less oils and fatty ingredients. Schwan's should also aim to use different cooking methods, rather than constantly deep-frying, while trying to find a similar taste. For this price, you're also better off going to the grocery store if you're looking to indulge in these unhealthy foods regardless. It is at least important for them to continue placing ingredients and nutritional information on their website. This way, we can stay informed on what we are eating if we wish, and make smart decisions based on that information. For example, although their corn mix is healthy, it comes with four servings, at 90 calories each serving. This is important to know, but with deep-fried food items, it becomes an increasingly more alarming concern. Foods that have zero nutritional value are made out of empty calories, which are the worst foods we could put into our bodies. Their popcorn shrimp serves eight people, at 220 calories a serving; many families eat more servings than is recommended, which is already an issue without the item consisting of zero nutritional value. They should aim to make their services enough for simply one or two people, rather than several. This would allow families to exert self-control and deliberately eat less, but more likely, it will make people realize the mistakes that they had been making before. Companies across the board should strive to offer much variety, but of the healthy kind-which is what Schwan's partially does.

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The Bottom Line

Ultimately, if you use Schwan's, it should be on occasion or if you don't have enough time to make it to the grocery store. This is not only because of the unhealthy choices, but because it is generally more costly, so if you have the time and the resources, you'll be saving yourself money by making dinner yourself-in the short and long term. Health issues might arise if you make wrong choices in terms of your meals. Schwan's does offer a variety of options that will keep the whole family satisfied, though, and if chosen correctly, meals could be of nutritional value, too. Due to the variety of diet options-such as the ones that are gluten-free, low in sodium, and with no added sugars-there is plenty to go around. Opt for the fresh fruits and vegetables, and make sure that your children learn to eat moderately and slowly. Schwan's could be a great family tool if used wisely.

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User Reviews

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4.1

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111 Reviews

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JoAnn White Marysville, OH

The quality of the food is great, but the supply of items ordered is becoming unreliable and the prices have sky-rocketed. My last order was for 5 items, and I received only 1, with no indication of when or if the other 4 would be delivered. Instead or rebranding from Schwan (and getting rid of the swan logo), the company should have put that money towards improving service and keeping prices down. I no longer will use this service.

1 year ago

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James Knauer Elizabeth, IL

Schwans at one time had the best chocolate marshmallow ice creame but the last order I placed for chocolate marshmallow ice they changed the marshmallow and now it sucks will not order it again

2 years ago

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Ponch Thompson South Jordan, UT

What a frustrating experience trying to get a simple Gift Card to get food for a family member. Not only did the card never get shipped, I was still charged and it took several calls to rectify. While the food may be ok, and we have had their food in the past, this experience left a bad taste in my mouth!

6 years ago

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Bob Conley Crestwood, KY

Overpriced. I didn't mind taking their visits, but the driver eventually just started complaining that I wasn't ordering enough to make it worth his time. I was okay with that and let him know that he didn't need to waste his time with me.

6 years ago