In the long run, yeah, it is more expensive. But a "meal" that costs a few bucks and only needs to be microwaved does "look" cheaper than buying a pound of meat, an onion, a few potatoes, and a bag of frozen peas.
And we can't forget that if all I have is a few bucks, I can only afford to buy the 2 dollar frozen dinner even if buying raw meat, an onion, a few potatoes, and a bag of frozen peas would make multiple meals at less than 2 dollars a meal.
In the long run, yeah, it is more expensive. But a "meal" that costs a few bucks and only needs to be microwaved does "look" cheaper than buying a pound of meat, an onion, a few potatoes, and a bag of frozen peas.
And we can't forget that if all I have is a few bucks, I can only afford to buy the 2 dollar frozen dinner even if buying raw meat, an onion, a few potatoes, and a bag of frozen peas would make multiple meals at less than 2 dollars a meal.