New HelloFresh research finds 65% of parents feel guilty serving shortcut dinners as comedian and father of three Gerry Dee opens the Dinner Confessional Hotline

TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2026 /CNW/ -- Back-to-school season brings routines, packed schedules, and endless to-do lists, but for Canadian parents, the challenge doesn't end when the school day does. New research from HelloFresh reveals that back-to-school is the #1 most challenging time of year for family meal planning, with more than one-third of parents (36%) identifying the season as the most difficult time to figure out what's for dinner.

And parents are doing whatever it takes to get dinner on the table. Nearly 7 in 10 parents (69%) serve shortcut dinners, including takeout, cereal, frozen meals or leftovers, at least once or twice during a typical school week. Despite how common these shortcuts are, close to two-thirds (65%) say they feel guilty serving one instead of a home-cooked dinner, while 63% admit they have told little "white lies" to convince their kids to eat.

Now, Canadian comedian and father of three Gerry Dee wants parents to get those dinner confessions off their chests.

HelloFresh has partnered with Dee to launch the Dinner Confessional Hotline, a judgement-free place for parents to share the shortcuts, little white lies and creative compromises that keep families fed.

From September 8 to 21, Canadian parents can call the hotline at 1-236-SPILLIT and share their funniest, most relatable school-night dinner confessions, whether that's calling cereal dinner, disguising leftovers as something new, or leaning on takeout for the third time that week. Those who leave a confession will be entered for a chance to win a year of HelloFresh meals.

"I have three kids, so I've got plenty of dinner confessions of my own," says Gerry Dee. "Back-to-school is busy enough without pretending every dinner is going according to plan. If everyone ate something and you made it through the night, I'd call that a win. I'm looking forward to hearing what Canadian parents have to confess."

Behind the dinner scramble is a much bigger balancing act. Between work, school schedules, extracurriculars, grocery shopping and the mental load of keeping a household running, getting any dinner on the table can feel like an accomplishment.

"Back-to-school season can feel like a reset for the whole family, but it also puts a lot back on parents' plates," says James Griesser, Lead Recipe Developer at HelloFresh. "There's no such thing as a perfect school-night dinner, and there shouldn't have to be. HelloFresh is here to make one part of the day feel a little easier, because when back-to-school asks more of parents, dinner should ask less."

HelloFresh helps take the pressure off school-night dinners with easy-to-cook, low-lift meals that cut down on planning, prep and effort while still delivering something delicious. From SuperQuick Thai Beef Noodle Bowls with Cabbage, Carrots and Peanuts to One-Pan Greek Chicken Lemon Potatoes with Village Salad and Feta-Yogurt Sauce, families can choose from fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes delivered right to the door, so families can spend less time stressing about dinner and more time together.

Canadian parents can call 1-236-SPILLIT from September 8 to 21 to share their Dinner Confessional and enter for a chance to win a year of HelloFresh meals.

About HelloFresh Canada

HelloFresh Canada was founded in February 2016. HelloFresh delivers 'cook from scratch' meal plans straight to your door with carefully curated, easy-to-follow recipe cards and locally sourced pre-portioned fresh ingredients in just the right quantities. HelloFresh helps reduce food waste and takes care of the meal planning, shopping, measuring and delivering, leaving time for you to do the fun parts: cooking and eating. HelloFresh caters to a variety of needs by offering Quick and Easy, Family Friendly, and Veggie boxes. HelloFresh delivers all across Canada.

Methodology

This survey was undertaken by The Harris Poll Canada. It ran overnight on July 24th, 2026, with 420 randomly selected Canadian parents/guardians of children under 18 years old and are online panelists. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region, and education (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of ±4.8%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding.

SOURCE HelloFresh Canada