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

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

Yeh's version stays true to its convenience food roots but relies on a speedy homemade sauce.

From Salon • Dec. 22, 2022

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

At the same time, the food industry had reimagined pudding as a cloyingly sweet convenience food.

From Slate • Nov. 22, 2017

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