Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Prepared Meals & Entrées
The Google product category ID for Prepared Meals & Entrées is 499988, written as a path "Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Meals & Entrées". It is a leaf: the taxonomy does not continue below it, so this is the most specific value on this branch, and if your product fits here there is nothing more precise to pick. It sits under Prepared Foods.
This level2
Prepared Meals & Entrées499988
Prepared Appetizers & Side Dishes499989- Category ID
- 499988
- Subcategories (none, this is a leaf)
- 0
- Categories below it in total
- 0
- Depth, on a branch that runs 4
- 4 / 4
- Others at this level
- 1
- Parent category
- Prepared Foods
- Taxonomy version
- 2021-09-21
- Sent in your feed as
- google_product_category
Where this sits in the taxonomy
Measured by how much sits beneath them, Prepared Meals & Entrées is the largest of the 2 categories under Prepared Foods, with 0 categories below it. Size is not correctness — a small category is the right answer when it is the right answer — but it does tell you how much of the taxonomy you are still choosing between once you pick this branch.
| Category | ID | Direct | Below | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepared Meals & Entrées — this page | 499988 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prepared Appetizers & Side Dishes | 499989 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (499988) or the full path ("Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Meals & Entrées"). Both are predefined values for the same category. The ID is the sturdier of the two, because renaming any segment above this one changes the path text and leaves the number alone.
Bear in mind that google_product_category is an optional attribute. Google assigns a category automatically, and your value is treated as a signal rather than an override. When an override actually applies.
In your feed, it looks like this
Either row below is accepted. The first is the one to send.
| id | title | google_product_category |
|---|---|---|
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | 499988 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | "Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Meals & Entrées" |
This path contains a comma, so the cell has to be quoted: unquoted, a CSV reader splits "Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Meals & Entrées" into 2 columns and the row stops lining up with its header. The numeric ID, 499988, contains no comma.
Easy to mix up with
These sit under the same parent and start with the same word, which is exactly when the wrong one gets picked.
Questions about Prepared Meals & Entrées
What is the Google product category ID for Prepared Meals & Entrées?
499988. The full path, "Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Meals & Entrées", is the same category written the other way. The ID is shorter, and renaming a segment above this one changes the path text while leaving the number alone.
Is anything more specific than Prepared Meals & Entrées available?
No. Prepared Meals & Entrées is a leaf of Google's taxonomy at level 4, so 499988 is the most precise value this branch offers. If it does not describe your product closely enough, the answer is a different branch, not a deeper one.
Where does Prepared Meals & Entrées sit in the taxonomy?
At level 4, under Prepared Foods (5814). The chain from the top is Food, Beverages & Tobacco → Food Items → Prepared Foods → Prepared Meals & Entrées. If your product does not belong under Prepared Foods, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Prepared Meals & Entrées is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Prepared Foods first — there are 1 other category at this level: Prepared Appetizers & Side Dishes (499989). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Prepared Foods (5814) and pick a different branch from there rather than settling for the closest thing on this one.
How big is Prepared Meals & Entrées compared with the categories next to it?
It is the largest of the 2 at its level, carrying 0 categories below it. A bigger category is not a better one — it just means more of the taxonomy is still open below you after you pick it.
What is the difference between Prepared Meals & Entrées and Prepared Appetizers & Side Dishes?
They sit side by side under Prepared Foods and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Prepared Meals & Entrées is 499988; Prepared Appetizers & Side Dishes is 499989. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Meals & Entrées" with "Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Prepared Foods > Prepared Appetizers & Side Dishes" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
Describe the product and get the category with its ID, a confidence figure and the runners-up it was weighed against.
Free, no account. Or map a whole catalog