Real Food. Made simple.
What Real Food means at Plate Mate
Every food brand says “real food”. Few say what they mean by it, and fewer say which part is proven. Here are our eight principles, each marked as a confirmed fact about our meals or as a goal we are still working towards.
Our definition
Real Food at Plate Mate means recognisable home-style dishes, cooked without added MSG or preservatives, with calories and macros printed on every pack, kept chilled rather than frozen and easy to heat.
This is our own working definition. It is not a legal term or a certification.
Eight principles
Each principle: what it means, what you get from it, and how to check it yourself.
- 1No added MSGNot in recipes, sauces or broths.Confirmed
- 2No added preservativesNeither in cooking nor in ingredients.Confirmed
- 3Honest numbers on every packCalories, protein, fat and carbs.Confirmed
- 4Chilled, not frozenWith a use-by date and remote temperature monitoring.Confirmed
- 5Dishes you recogniseHome-style cooking, named ingredients.Partly confirmed
- 6Salt and sugar with careA principle, not a measured standard.Our goal
- 7Fats chosen for the cooking methodThe right fat for the job.Our goal
- 8Easy to heat, clear to followA built-in microwave and instructions on the pack.Confirmed
No added MSG
ConfirmedFlavour comes from ingredients and cooking. We don’t add MSG (monosodium glutamate) as an ingredient to our recipes, sauces and broths included. Glutamates that occur naturally in meat, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese stay in the dish, so “no added MSG” never means “no glutamate”.
- What it gives you
- If you avoid added flavour enhancers, you know where you stand.
- How to check
- Ask us about any dish through the contacts in the site footer.
- What exactly is confirmed
- Confirmed by Plate Mate. MSG is not added as an ingredient. Natural glutamates in ingredients remain.
No added preservatives
ConfirmedWe don’t add preservatives when cooking and don’t use ingredients that contain them. The trade-off is simple: without preservatives, cold and the use-by date do all the work, so the meal has to stay chilled and be eaten on time.
- What it gives you
- A short ingredient base for food you eat often.
- How to check
- Look at the use-by date on the pack and eat the meal before it.
- What exactly is confirmed
- Confirmed by Plate Mate. It does not mean a longer shelf life, and it does not replace food safety control.
Honest numbers on every pack
ConfirmedCalories, protein, fat and carbs are on every pack. We calculate them from the recipe, from the ingredients and their weights, rather than measuring each dish in a lab, so a real portion can differ slightly from the printed figure.
- What it gives you
- You can plan a day and compare dishes in seconds.
- How to check
- Calories and macros for every dish are also on our menu page.
- What exactly is confirmed
- Confirmed: the figures are calculated from the recipe, not measured in a lab.
Chilled, not frozen
ConfirmedMeals in our machines are chilled, not frozen. Every pack carries a use-by date, and we monitor the temperature inside the machines remotely. Our frozen sets are a separate product with their own storage rules.
- What it gives you
- Texture close to freshly cooked food, ready in minutes.
- How to check
- Check the use-by date on the pack before you buy and before you eat.
- What exactly is confirmed
- Confirmed: chilled meals, a use-by date on every pack, remote temperature monitoring. We do not publish target temperatures or shelf life in days.
Dishes you recognise
Partly confirmedSoup, cutlets, fish, rice, pasta, buckwheat: dishes you recognise on the plate. Each one on the menu page comes with a description naming its main ingredients.
- What it gives you
- You know what you are eating before you open the pack.
- How to check
- Read the dish description on the menu page.
- What exactly is confirmed
- The dish descriptions are published on the menu. “Home-style” describes the style of our dishes, not how or where they are cooked.
Salt and sugar with care
Our goalWe aim to use salt and sugar with a light hand, so a dish tastes right without being loaded. There is no published, measured standard behind this, which is why we never call our dishes low-salt or low-sugar.
- What it gives you
- Everyday food you can eat often.
- How to check
- If you need to limit sodium or sugar, follow your own health advice and ask us about a specific dish.
- What exactly is confirmed
- This is a principle we work by. There are no published limits or lab measurements behind it.
Fats chosen for the cooking method
Our goalWhat suits gentle cooking does not always suit frying, so we choose cooking fats for the method. No oil is perfect; we judge the whole dish rather than chase a label.
- What it gives you
- Dishes that taste the way they should.
- How to check
- Ask us which fats are used in a dish that interests you.
- What exactly is confirmed
- This is a principle. We do not name specific oils here and do not promise any oil is completely harmless.
Easy to heat, clear to follow
ConfirmedEvery machine has a built-in microwave that heats your meal after purchase and works only after a purchase. Every pack carries reheating instructions, so the meal heats just as easily at home.
- What it gives you
- A hot meal in minutes, at the machine or at home.
- How to check
- Follow the reheating instructions printed on the pack.
- What exactly is confirmed
- Confirmed: built-in microwave in the machine and reheating instructions on the pack. We do not publish our own heating times or power levels here.
Questions about Real Food
Is “Real Food” a certification?
No. It is our own working definition, described on this page. We do not claim any certification behind it.
Does “no added MSG” mean the food has no glutamate?
No. We don’t add MSG as an ingredient, but glutamates occur naturally in meat, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese, and they stay in the dish.
If there are no preservatives, does the meal keep longer?
No, rather the opposite. A meal without preservatives must be kept chilled and eaten by the use-by date on the pack.
How accurate are the calories?
They are calculated from the recipe, not measured in a lab. Real portions can differ slightly from the printed figure.
I have a food allergy. What should I do?
The menu names the main ingredients of every dish, but please contact us before buying if you have an allergy. If you are unsure, do not eat the dish.
Where can I buy Plate Mate meals?
All our working machines are on the map on the home page. We also deliver frozen sets and meal plans.