“Profit now from the future”

As early as 1958, Migros sold its first frozen meals: roasts, pork ribs, meatballs and pepper with vegetables and side dishes. But the aluminium packaging did not appeal to its customers. So two years later, it switched to plastic bags that could be heated up in water.


Migros first produced frozen meals in 1958. It hoped to succeed because of «the significant involvement of married women in the working world» and «the lack of household staff». For this reason they focussed in particular on «prepared meals» because: «Working women (including bachelorettes who don’t always want to eat in restaurants) can appreciate this». Housewives were also encouraged to «use the time saved on cooking to do something more valuable with a clear conscience». Migros customers felt that this development could help them become «a more bold and progressive human being» and «one of the ‹pioneers› of frozen meals in Switzerland».
The «three-part aluminium plate», which was used to cook in and then eat from, as was common in the USA, proved not to be «to everyone’s taste». Migros therefore launched a plastic «boiling bag» that could be heated up in water. This unique packaging «from the continental market» premiered in 1960 and TARA , the packaging journal, praised its «progressive trend» and «service to the customer».