In order to evaluate the perception of convenience food by 96 elderly people aged 65 and over, an interview using the Repertory Grid Method (RGM) was carried out. Additionally, apart from the interview, some detailed information about the importance of nine factors influencing the respondents’ choice of foods when shopping and their attitudes towards food-related quality of life was collected. Half the respondents lived alone, and the others with at least one person in a common household. Five convenience vegetable soups and two conventional ones were used as experimental material. No taste assessment (i.e. sensory analysis) was done. The empty packages of soups or photographs were randomly presented to the respondents in three triads. As a result, 14 different constructs describing sensory, health and convenience properties were obtained. The constructs were then grouped into six classes of similar characteristics. This analysis showed that older people perceived the convenience food as less healthy and tasty than the traditionally made meals. Taste and health aspects were found to be crucial determinants for convenience food. There were no statistically significant differences in regard to sex and age for the 7 soups’ scores for the following attributes: tasty, convenient and healthy. Only the living situation had a significant influence on soups’ scores for the attribute convenient: those living alone considered all ready-made soups and a deep frozen one as more convenient in comparison to the people living with others. In general, people who were participating in this study were pleased with their food and meals. They rather did not see any problems, obstacles nor disappointments when thinking of their next meal. In consequence, they were not really interested in convenience food.