Steve Case
Steve Case, the AOL founder and venture capitalist, announced today that he will invest in Revolution Foods, the Oakland, Calif.-based supplier of healthier school meals to schools.

Case made the announcement on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show in an interview with Mika Brezenski, who is an advocate for healthier eating. The New York Times reported that the investment is worth $30 million.

In the MSNBC interview, Case said he believes school meals programs are “ready for disruption” as the American people turn toward healthier eating.

Case noted that Revolution Foods delivers its meals for less than $3, which makes it competitive with providers of more traditional processed food.

He discounted reports that children are rejecting healthier food, saying there are always “incumbents” who want to do things the traditional way, and that he expects Revolution Foods to grow rapidly in the next six to seven years.

Kristin Groos Richmond, a co-founder of Revolution Foods who appeared with Case in the interview, said her company replaces processed food offerings with fresher meals.

While some advocates for better school meals have promoted cooking from scratch in each school, Case noted that Revolution Foods has made its system work by preparing the foods in “culinary centers” and delivering them to the schools.

Richmond also said she and her co-founder Kristen Saenz Tobey founded Revolution Foods eight years ago because they were “two moms” who wanted healthier food for their children. Richmond said that her company tracks participation constantly and looks at what foods children eat and throw away.

Case noted that his investment company is called Revolution, and said “it is nice to bring the two ‘Revolutions’ together.”

▪ Revolution Foods