In the 1960s and 1970s lifestyles were changing rapidly. 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 and frozen meals. Dishes became more varied, and Chinese and Indian ranges reflected the public’s interest in different cuisines.
By the early 1970s, home freezers were 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 classics to Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian and Japanese dishes to Plant Kitchen, the M&S vegan convenience food range.
Launched in 2000, Count on Us is range of calorie controlled, low fat meals, salads and lunch options. Foods that are higher in fats and sugar tend to contain a lot of calories. This range was developed to help people to eat more healthily, offering a variety of dishes to choose from that are low in fat (less than 3g per 100g) and calorie counted.
Healthier options are easy to spot thanks to the Eat Well logo. Wherever customers see the sunflower they know it’s a better choice for their health. M&S has worked with the women’s and men’s England football teams to promote the Eat Well campaign.
