True Fare Review
Important update: We regret to inform you that True Fare has closed its doors and is no longer fulfilling orders. At the moment, it is not known whether the service will resume its operations at some point in the foreseeable future. For the time being, True Fare is referring its patrons to its affiliate Pete’s Paleo, which is currently one of the best Paleo meal delivery services on the market.
True Fare, formerly known as Pre-Made Paleo, is the brainchild of RSB Foods, a company formed in 2012 with a single vision – to change the way Americans eat and see food. The company is led by Chef Richard Bradford and Chef de Cuisine Amy Crites. The two of them joined forces to develop a company that would provide the public with delicious meals adhering to the Paleo lifestyle. Over time, the company started focusing on other popular diets as well, including Whole30, AIP, and keto. This intriguing concept is what inspired us to create this True Fare review.
How True Fare Works
True Fare allows you to choose whether you want to order individual meals a la carte whenever you need them or opt for a subscription and receive automatic shipments every week, biweekly or monthly.
If you decide to order a la carte, you can freely choose your breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and vegetable sides from the company’s diverse menu. There are around 50 items to choose from. All items on the menu are Paleo-friendly and Whole30-approved and many of them are AIP-friendly and keto-friendly. In addition to the standard, single-serving breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, True Fare offers family meals, raw, ready-to-cook wild-caught fish and seafood, spices, sauces, raw meats, bone broths and stocks, Paleo snacks, bacon, and more.
If you wish to subscribe, you can opt for the standard Paleo-friendly 5-meal, 10-meal, 20-meal, 30-meal, and 40-meal plans, 10-day, 15-day, 20-day, and 30-day Whole30 plans, 5-day keto plan, and 5-day, 10-day, and 20-day AIP plans. If you do not like any of the available plans, you can request a custom plan.
All subscriptions can be canceled at any time, but you must notify the company at least 7 days before the next scheduled shipment. Subscriptions come with no extra fees. The minimum number of shipments with a subscription is 2 (i.e. minimum 1 renewal). Meals you receive with subscriptions may come at discounted prices. If you cancel before receiving 4 shipments, you may be charged for the difference to the regular prices.
What Makes True Fare Different
True Fare is a Paleo meal delivery service that does not limit its offer to just Paleo meals. Unlike most meal delivery services on the market, it offers meals that are in complete accordance with the keto and AIP diets. Not only that, but every single menu item is Whole30-approved. This is something you can hardly find anywhere else.
However, the availability of meals for special diets is not the only characteristic that sets it apart from the rest of the lot. It also uses the best possible ingredients. Its meals are prepared using premium-quality grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and turkey, heritage-breed pork, and organic produce. They are free from fillers, preservatives, stabilizers, and artificial ingredients of all kinds. They are completely natural, highly nutritious, and perfectly good for you.
Although True Fair does not offer refunds for meals that do not suit your taste, it is more than happy to give you your money back in case there is something wrong with your shipment. If you notice that some of the meals have arrived damaged or spoiled, be sure to get in touch with the staff within 24-48 hours in order to receive a refund.
Meals And Recipes
Like stated previously in this True Fare review, the service offers just around 50 items on its menu. All standard meals are shipped frozen, but fresh meals are available as well, although in a limited number of areas.
The meals normally include an entrée and a 6 oz. vegetable side dish. Entrées come in 2 portion sizes – Regular, 5 oz., and Warrior, 8 oz. For most meals, you can choose the portion size that suits your appetite and you can decide whether you want your meals to include pork or you want pork substituted with chicken. The average calorie count per serving is around 300 calories.
Now that we have covered the basics, let us explore the company’s special AIP, keto, and Whole30 meals and meal plans in greater detail. True Fare AIP meals are perfectly suitable for the elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol. They are free from nightshades, nuts, seeds, seed-based spices, and eggs. All AIP meals are Whole30-approved as well. The AIP meal plans include breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Keto meals are designed in complete accordance with the rules of the ketogenic diet. They are low in carbs and high in protein and suitable for both the keto and Whole30 diets. The keto-friendly meal plan includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and nut-butters (almond).
Unlike with many other meal delivery services, with True Fare, you get meals that are actually Whole30-approved. This means that they are free from added sugar, grains, legumes (excluding green beans and sugar snap and snow peas), dairy, MSG, sulfites, baked goods, and other forbidden ingredients. The Whole30 meal plans include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as healthy, approved snacks.
Finally, all meals are Paleo-friendly, which means no processed foods, added sugar, grains, legumes, trans fats, and most dairy products. The only oil used in the preparation of the meals is extra virgin olive oil. The standard Paleo-friendly meal plans include entrées and sides suitable for lunch and dinner.
Pricing
Considering it only uses the highest-quality and most conscientiously-grown food, True Fare is really not that expensive. The subscriptions start at $72 a week (5 meals). They go up to $995, which is the price of 30-days of Whole30 meals, including 30 breakfasts, 30 lunches, 30 dinners, and 60 servings of Trail Mix Snacks.
The prices of individual a la carte meals normally range from $9.50 to $18.50. Veggie sides usually cost $4.95 per serving. As far as shipping is concerned, it is free on all orders over $295. Orders worth between $50 and $294.99 come with a $15 shipping and handling fee. Deliveries to Georgia addresses worth $50+ come with free shipping.
| Regular Subscription Plans | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of meals | Price | Price per meal |
| 5 | $72.00 | $14.40 |
| 10 | $135.00 | $13.50 |
| 20 | $259.95 | $12.99 |
| 30 | $385.00 | $12.83 |
| 40 | $400.00 | $10.00 |
| Whole30 Subscription Plans | ||
| Duration | Price | Price per meal |
| 10 days | $349.00 | $11.63 |
| 15 days | $509.00 | $11.31 |
| 20 days | $675.00 | $11.25 |
| 30 days | $995.00 | $11.05 |
| AIP Subscription Plan | ||
| Duration | Price | Price per meal |
| 15 days | $485.00 | $10.77 |
Delivery Areas
True Fare delivers everywhere in the United States and even gives you a map of how long it will take to bring you your ordered meals. It ships to the majority of the continental U.S. within 3 days, with the exception of a few western states. Fresh meals are available in Georgia, Alabama, and select southeast cities, including Nashville, Charlotte, and others. You can check availability directly on the company’s website.
True Fare Pros And Cons
To make sure True Fare meets all your standards and expectations, it is important to know its biggest advantages and disadvantages. With a short overview of its pros and cons, you can easily decide if True Fare is the right meal delivery service for you.
- Organic and humanely raised ingredients
- AIP, keto, Whole30, and Paleo meals and meal plans
- Over 50 meals on the menu
- All items on the menu are Whole30-approved
- Subscribe or order a la carte
- Free shipping on all orders over $295
- The prices are not exactly low
Bottom Line
True Fare is an organic meal delivery service that offers an impressive selection of meals suitable for the Paleo, keto, AIP and Whole30 diets. All of its meals are Whole30-approved and made of natural, organic ingredients. You can order whenever you want or opt for one of its many subscription plans. You can choose everything from the number and selection of meals in your order to portion size, delivery frequency, and type of meat in your meals. The meals are available throughout the US and shipping is always free on orders worth more than $295. The prices may not fit all budgets, but considering the quality and variety, we did not expect them to be any lower.
I received my 30 day fully prepared meals from True fare about 7 days ago. 30dayWhole challenge. Very simple. Pricey. But worth every dime. The price just makes me super committed to staying focused on the diet. The day I received the fully prepared meals…I got ziplock bags and went by the weekly menu and separated all 30 days into the bags. Marking them for each day and what week. That took time. But was well worth it. Then froze everything but first week. I received so much food that I even had 3 to four full bags of extra food left. Probably enough for another month or 30 days. I had started to prepare myself for this diet a week in advance. Reading all I could about it. So in one week plus the week I did preparation to be on this diet I have cut out all the sugars and processed foods and all recommended things to cut out. I Increased fresh vegetables and fruits. I have already lost in 2 weeks 10.5 pounds. Hoping to stay on diet until I loss the other 20 I need to lose. Then continue on my own making my own meals. My stomach no longer is upset everyday,I have more ambition and energy, even my back pain is going away. The prepared food is more than filling. Which totally surprised me. As I only put 3 bags in each zip lock bag and also supplement with the trail mix and fresh fruits or veggies if Im hungry. But I rarely am. This is the best I have ever felt on a diet…which feels like no diet at all. The only work involved was separating each days foods into the ziplock bags the day the food arrived. I love it and highly recommend it to anyone.
Not the cheapest, but definitely the best paleo meals I’ve ever had. Meal pairings are my favorite!
I like the food, great options you’ve got over there. But I really get confused wandering around your site, pls do something about it.
Delayed delivery on first order – notified day of; arrived three days later with all dry ice melted. Said replacement order being shipped OVERNIGHT; actually shipped ground and arrived 5 days later. Last disappointment was the food! Over cooked veggies even before overheating, bland flavor, soggy potatoes, thigh chicken meat was fatty around the edges, turkey meatloaf was grey in color and disgusting…… etc. Three strikes, they’re OUT for us!
I have type II diabetes and last year my doctor recommended the Whole30 program to help me manage my diabetes. I attempted the Whole30 (made it through day 27) and was completely overwhelmed by the amount of cooking, food prep, shopping, cleaning, etc. I felt like I was spending an average of three hours in the kitchen each day, and that just does not work for my schedule. The added stress of this definitely hindered the positive effects of the program as most days my stress levels were extremely high causing unstable blood sugar.
This year, in another attempt to get my blood sugars under control and to improve my health in general, I decided to do the Whole30 again but this time to save up my money and purchase the TrueFare 30-day Whole30 plan.
I really expected to love it considering the price tag of $900.00 ($10/meal). I definitely love the convenience of it (the food is just so-so and lacks variety, which I could handle and wouldn’t be too big of a deal on its own), but there was a major problem that I have been going back and forth with TrueFare customer service on:
The nutritional information varies on 1) the food labels (that are on each individual food packet), 2) the menu flyers (that are shipped with the food), and 3) on the online nutritional information posted on the website.
Here is an example of the Pork Skillet:
• PROTEIN: Package: 14g; Online: 23 g
• CALORIES: Package: 240; Online: 330
• CARBS: Package: 9g; Online: 14 g
• FAT: Package: 16g; Online: 20g
Here is an example of the Chimichurri Chicken
• PROTEIN: Package: 37g; Flyer: 29 g
• CALORIES: Package: 310; Flyer: 280
• FAT: Package: 15g; Flyer: 12g
Another example of inconsistencies and errors:
• The last meal at the bottom of Menu ‘R’ says “US Wellness Meats Grass-Fed Pink Peppercorn Braised Beef served with Organic Cauliflower Rice Pilaf.”
• TrueFare prints the nutritional information on the back of the same flyer and the pairing for the beef is listed as “API Cauliflower Pilaf with Mushrooms.”
• The label on the actual pairing I received was “Cauliflower Rice with Sweet Potatoes.” And of course, the nutritional information on the label obviously doesn’t match what’s on the back of the flyer.
• The ingredients on the label state that there are brussels in the ingredients, but I definitely did not see any – just cauliflower and sweet potatoes.
After multiple emails with TrueFare, Joseph admitted there was confusion and that they had some type of glitch / labeling issue as they were switching over from Pre-Made Paleo to TrueFare and that some products were mislabeled and incorrect. It was extremely time consuming emailing them or calling them trying to get a straight answer as to which nutritional label and ingredient lists were correct – and I’d have to do it for each discrepancy I came across. I finally gave up.
On Whole30 you don’t typically track calories, macronutrients, etc., but since I am diabetic, tracking carbs is essential to my overall plan to figure out what works best for my body and I can eliminate the use of medications in controlling my blood sugar, and I stressed this fact to customer service.
I communicated with TrueFare about this issue multiple times and also expressed my dissatisfaction with the issue at hand. I had asked that the *actual/correct* nutritional information for each meal be emailed to me, but that request was ignored. Nothing was done by TrueFare to rectify the situation and the only apology I got was a casual (and seemingly insincere) “sorry for the confusion.”
Considering this plan was endorsed by Whole30, and considering the hefty price tag, I am highly disappointed with the issues I’ve experienced with this company and I question the integrity of what I’m eating.
It would benefit TrueFare to take customer complaints more seriously and improve the customer service side of the business. I do not feel and adequate attempt was made to resolve or rectify the issues I had with my order, especially considering TrueFare was aware of the labeling issue yet continued to send food out anyway. $900 is a lot of money for most single people to spend on a months’ worth of food, and the lack of customer service and conflict resolution is truly disappointing.
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend TrueFare until they are able to correct the labeling issues/glitches and improve their conflict resolution standards.
I had zero problems figuring out the calories and the pairings no matter what the flyer said I actually was able on my own to figure out by reading back of labels what was in packages. I simply got out zip lock bags…and put in each bag the amount of caleries I wanted for each day…labeled the bag with day,week and meal calories I wanted for the day and put bags of the prepared food inside. I also prepared a,week ahead of time by reading about each meal and recipe online..my goal is weight loss and to be healthier,so when food arrived I already knew what I needed to do. Bag each day and freeze each week, take one week out of freezer ahead of time and put in refridg. Most of my preparation came before the meals even arrived. I had zero problems figuring out what packets matched what on flyer and even if I did I put what I wanted to for that days breakfast or whatever in the days meal bag that matched closest to my caleries I wanted and closest to what was described on flyer. Since I started reviewing and eating like the plan a week ahead of time I had already lost 5 pounds by the time meals arrived..on time and the first week on the plan I lost another 5 pounds. Total 10.5 pounds at this point. The food is delicious and I was surprised how full I got and get from each packet. I even have 3 to 4 bags of food left over for at least another month of the plan. Plus,with the 10 pound wt loss I have very little back pain anymore zero stomach problems and my joy and energy levels are up 100%. I am thankful for TrueFare. The high price just makes me more determined not to waste what I’m learning and accomplishing with my Health issues and weight issues. I would recommend 30 day plan True fare to everyone and preplan before food arrives,bag up each day according to what you need to achieve…as far as dietary needs go or wt loss. It’s an awesome plan. I expect to reach my weight loss goal by end or middle of April and continue on the plan myself. Excellent all the way around. Zero complaints…totally satisfied customer! Thank you TrueFare!!