A plastics container, particularly for use in general catering, comprises a body (1) in the form of a parallelepipedal bowl with rounded corners and provided with a peripheral flange having a downwardly-inclined part (5). The body (1) is closed by a shallow tray-shaped cover (2) which enters the cavity of the body and has a peripheral flange (8a, 8b, 8c) which rests on the inner edge of the inclined part (5) of the flange of the body (1) so as to keep the peripheral edges of the flanges of the body and the cover spaced from each other to facilitate opening of the container. The flange of the body (1) has a peripheral edge (6) which is bent vertically downwardly and, in correspondence with the corners of the flange, is bevelled in its lower part (6a) to form a gripping tab (7) in its upper part for lifting of the container.