Fast food, a type of mass-produced food that is prepared and served very quickly, was first popularized in the 1950s in the United States, and may be relatively less nutritionally valuable compared to other foods and dishes. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away