convenience food

American  

noun

1. any packaged food, dish, or meal that can be prepared quickly and easily, as by thawing or heating.

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convenience food British  

noun

1. food that needs little preparation, especially food that has been pre-prepared and preserved for long-term storage

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Etymology

Origin of convenience food

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

One special featured a comforting rice porridge, simmered until thick and creamy, studded with Costco rotisserie chicken—an unparalleled convenience food.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2026

With a busy schedule, she says she found herself choosing convenience food over cooking - and it's had a lasting impact on her health.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2025

The more you eat out or rely on convenience food, the more the balance of your diet will go the wrong way.

From The Guardian • Dec. 31, 2018

But “Jubilee” — a dystopian fantasy in which Queen Elizabeth I is transported into a future where nihilist girl-gangs roam a decaying London — is hardly convenience food.

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2018

Then came a fat man and woman with their two small boys who were also fat, which probably meant they all ate too much convenience food and needed to improve their diet.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd