How convenient are convenience foods?

Do frozen entrées, canned vegetables, or commercial pasta really get to the table any faster than made-from-scratch dishes? Maybe not, according to research from UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families, which found that families spent 52 minutes preparing a meal, regardless of whether convenience foods comprised 20 percent or at least 50 percent of the meal. Next time you’re looking for something easy, remember that a dinner made mostly from fresh foods may reach the table just as fast, probably contains more nutrients, and may have a lower carbon footprint than the “convenient” alternative.