In the 1960s and 1970s the role of women was changing very quickly. More women were going out to work, so M&S made life easier by introducing good quality, nutritious convenience food, like boil-in-the-bag meals and microwave dinners. Dishes became more varied, and exotic Chinese and Indian ranges reflected the new travel opportunities of the times.

By the early 1970s, home freezers were becoming cheaper and more easily available and in 1972 M&S introduced frozen food including lasagnes and pizzas. By 1973 convenience food was being sold in 100 stores and was a huge hit with the public. There are now many different ranges of convenience food, from Gastropub runny scotch eggs to the Cook! range which emphasises good-quality, natural ingredients that make cooking easier.

Launched in 2000, Count on Us is a range of meals, salads and lunch options that are calorie controlled and low in fat. Foods that are higher in fats and sugar tend to contain a lot of calories. This range has been developed to help people who are trying to lose weight sensibly, offering a variety of dishes to choose from that are low in fat (less than 3g per 100g) and calorie controlled.

The Lovely Vegetables is designed to be full of flavour, texture and colour. Each dish contains at least two of your five-a-day. Increasing your intake of vegetables can have a number of health benefits - vegetables have a low energy density and therefore help to keep you feeling full, they are also high in fibre and provide plenty of essential vitamins and minerals.

See Resources for downloadable marketing leaflets about the Count on Us and Lovely Vegetables ranges.