National TV Dinner Day in USA

A frozen meal, prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal (UK), frozen dinner, and microwave meal is a packaged frozen meal that comes portioned for an individual. A frozen meal in the United States and Canada usually consists of a type of meat for the main course, and sometimes vegetables, potatoes, and/or a dessert. The main dish can also be pasta or fish. In European frozen meals, Indian and Chinese meals are common. Another form of convenience food, which is merely a refrigerated ready meal that requires less heating but expires sooner, is popular in the UK.

In 1953, C.A. Swanson & Sons introduced a new product called “TV Dinners” and changed the prepackaged meal industry forever. The original TV Dinner came in an aluminum tray and was heated in an oven. The Smithsonian Institute inducted the original Swanson TV Dinner tray into the Museum of American History in 1986.