The problem with that approach is that often they include ingredients in very small quantities that most people won't have, and buying the ingredient yourself requires getting a container with 1000x the amount you need. Even if it's cheap, people balk at that.
But yes, the packaging is insanely wasteful, not to mention the ecological cost of shipping itself.
I definitely cooked more often when I had a HelloFresh subscription. And when I do cook now, the variety of things I make is much smaller.
