About Us
The story of Meals in Steel
Looking back to our school years in India, we used metal containers for all our purposes. These included the school bag, the pencil box, and the lunch box, all metal. These remained with us until we finished our school journey. They proved to be a system of sustainability right up until our leaving.
Then plastic was introduced. It was lighter, more attractive, and provided more options, but at what cost? Certainly, it was cheaper, but kept on breaking and had to be replaced in most years. And what of its environmental impact and the dangers of its use to health? There was no such concept of these things when it was first introduced.
We decided to heed the lessons of our past. We were certain that providing things that are recyclable, durable and sustainable are the way forward. And so we decided to bring this concept to New Zealand so that we can do our part to protect our land and marine environments by keeping them free of plastic.
About Us
Meals in Steel is New Zealand owned and operated business. Meals in Steel offers a wide range of food grade, high-quality stainless steel lunch boxes, and bottles. A good alternative to plastic. True to our sourcing philosophy, we only purchase or source products from the supplier when all our criteria have been met. We personally visit our supplier to make sure that it ticks all boxes including following Fair Trade and Environment Policies.
Meals in Steel NZ Limited is a 100% New Zealand owned and family operated business.
We do not just source products; we are involved and invest in the manufacturing and R&D process. Our operation and office that are onshore and offshore help provide and maintain the quality of our products. We personally visit many of our suppliers to see for ourselves that they tick all our boxes. We look for quality products and fair wages as well as safe and organic production techniques. Not only does every company we work with meet our high expectations, they often exceeded them by improving healthcare in their region and reducing the presence of hazardous organic materials in the environment.
Our Values
Our values define who we are. We follow high governance standard, treat workers well and follow fair wage policy, follow environmentally sustainable, ethical work practices, and positive contribution to the society.
Our Mission
At Meals in Steel in everything we do we are always looking for new ways to reduce our impact on the planet. So from the beginning, we have been hard at work developing, what we know is a step towards reducing the world's most consumption of single-use plastic.
Eat Healthy and Live Healthy
Our Mantra
If you have found us here you are probably, like us, trying to do your bit for the future of the planet by consuming responsibly. Our ethos here at Meals in Steel is to consciously choose eco-friendly products and services that minimize environmental impact and enhance the lives of people living with poverty. We source all of our suppliers on the basis that they must be working towards a better future for everybody, everywhere. We are always looking for better ways of doing things and be a part of creating a better future and good living.
Our Pricing
We are trying to keep our price affordable so we can encourage and involve the community in making changes. Our entire price is in NZD inclusive of GST but excluding of freight. We welcome wholesale enquiries.
Our Responsibility
We are constantly working on reducing our carbon footprint. Our company uses minimal energy to operate. It runs on 4.5 kW solar panels. During sunshine, we are almost out of the grid.
Also by using the electric vehicle (EV), it means it generates absolutely zero emission, helping to keep New Zealand clean and green. We use Biodegradable courier bags, reuse and recycle cardboard boxes.
Why Meals in Steel
We are what we eat and how we eat. We put ourselves at risk by making, storing and eating dangerous foods and using containers. Today we see lots of plastic and polystyrene containers are used for carrying and storing food. We even store hot or warm foods in those containers from takeaways and restaurants. This type of containers can leach BPA and other toxic substance into our food and body. On top of that, we are making our environment polluted by recycling and landfilling those materials such as plastics and polystyrene, which can take at least 500 years to decompose.
Is BPA-Free Plastic really safe?
We use bisphenol-A–free (BPA-free) water bottles and lunch boxes because we've heard the chemical can cause cancer and other serious illnesses. We're being safe, or so we think. Think again. It turns out that our BPA-free water bottle and lunch boxes could be just as toxic as our old BPA-rich Nalgene.
Items that are free of BPA often contain other chemicals that behave in much the same way – leaching into foods and drinks. After being absorbed by the body, the chemicals mimic the hormone estrogen, increasing the risk of cancer, diabetes, obesity, and reproductive problems. And it's not just BPA. In one recent study, phthalates, a compound found in plastics, were linked to a 20 percent reduction in male fertility.
Manufacturers' labels aren't worth much, either. In the largest and most comprehensive test of plastic products, researchers at the plastics-testing company examined 455 products and discovered that nearly all the items, including those marketed as BPA-free, leached chemicals that mimicked estrogen. We wouldn't call any plastic safe. "Some are just safer,"
Contribution to society
Meals in Steel regularly donates products to the schools and community for fundraising.
Public Contamination
Because polystyrene and plastic products are so common, many people assume they are safe, and that a government agency, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), would not allow a health-threatening product to be marketed to the public. But the EPA National Human Adipose Tissue Survey for 1986 identified styrene residues in 100% of all samples of human fat tissue taken in 1982 in the US. Styrene is used to make polystyrene plastic and is a contaminant in all polystyrene foam packages. But the migration of styrene is nothing new. It was first documented in 1972 and then again in 1976. (Source business Barbados, by Future Centre Trust. 6 July 2010)
Meals in steel offers a wide range of food grade, high-quality stainless steel lunch boxes and bottles and coffee mugs, which will keep your food safe.
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