New partner will deliver fresh meals made with all-natural ingredients, expand access for students
BOSTON, July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Boston Public Schools (BPS) announced today that Revolution Foods, a national school meal provider focused on transforming the way America eats by providing access to healthy, affordable meals to students and families, has been selected as the district’s pre-made breakfast and lunch provider through 2020.
Revolution Foods, which has a strong track record of providing high-quality, delicious food to schools throughout the U.S., ensures that all of its meals adhere to “clean label” standards. This means that they are made from wholesome, all-natural ingredients free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and additives. All of its meals are fresh, which will essentially eliminate the district’s use of frozen food. Additionally, Revolution Foods utilizes fresh local and regional produce, high quality proteins, rBST (growth hormone)-free dairy products from local dairies, and prohibits the use of high fructose corn syrup and trans fats.
“For many students, the meals they receive at school are their most nutritious of the day,” said BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang. “Revolution Foods embraces our nationally-recognized efforts of making sure every student has access to healthy foods in order to be well fed and ready to learn. I am excited that Boston Public Schools and Revolution Foods will work together to ensure all students get the healthiest and tastiest meals they deserve to help them better achieve their academic potential.”
Revolution Foods is committed to providing minimally processed meals that are prepared fresh and delivered refrigerated — virtually eliminating the district’s reliance on frozen food. Only about 1% of the BPS food inventory will be frozen, and even then it will adhere to clean-label standards and only be used in cases of emergency.
“Our mission is to create lifelong healthy eaters and it starts by introducing a variety of healthy ingredients and culturally relevant menu items that drive student consumption,” said Kristin Groos Richmond, CEO and founder of Revolution Foods. “Revolution Foods is the only company on a national level to offer a clean-label supply chain and student-inspired, chef-crafted meals. We are incredibly honored to serve the Boston Public Schools community. We are committed to being a strong partner in setting all BPS students up for success each day.”
The company currently serves 2 million meals a week to more than 22 school districts throughout the U.S, including San Francisco, Austin, Texas, Newark, N.J., Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. It also serves more than 15,000 meals a day at 25 school campuses throughout Massachusetts.
Revolution Foods will build on its current relationships with local and national partners, such as Commonwealth Kitchen, Community Servings, Food Corps, Let’s Talk About Food, and Share Our Strength/Cooking Matters, to help facilitate the distribution of fresh food and nutrition education for parents, teachers and students. It will also utilize the Rosev Dairy facility in Chelsea to facilitate distribution each day.
“Revolution Foods will be a strong partner as Boston Public Schools continues to make strides in expanding accessibility of healthy, delicious meals to all students,” said Boston School Committee Chairperson Michael O’Neill. “Revolution Foods’ strong commitment to community outreach and ensuring the healthiest possible meals is particularly encouraging.”
Recognized for its active outreach to families, Revolution Foods will bring to Boston a robust community engagement program that includes “Back-to-School Nights,” community open houses, staff training, student/school food tasting events, and participation in local “Let’s Talk About Food” events.
Each of these will provide BPS students and families an opportunity to discuss community needs, share feedback related to nutrition and taste standards, and sample meals through regular taste-testing. The goal is to use the family feedback to help develop innovative and culturally relevant menu items tailored to each school community based on family feedback.
Revolution Foods is also committed to working with BPS on exploring all options to increase participation in both breakfast and lunch. The company recently implemented a successful “Breakfast in the Classroom” program in San Francisco in which students eat after the morning bell. The program positively impacted student test scores, attendance levels/tardiness, behavior and ability to focus as well as healthy habits and increased meal participation.
“Revolution Foods shares our vision of ensuring all students have access to healthy food,” said Laura Benavidez, Executive Director of the BPS Food and Nutrition Department. “We look forward to working with Revolution Foods as we find innovative ways to expand menu choices and opportunities for students and families.”
Through its partnership with BPS, Revolution Foods is creating 35 new jobs in the Boston area. Revolution Foods was selected following a thorough review process that included BPS parents, school staff, community members, and a member of the City’s Finance Commission.
ABOUT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS:
The Boston Public Schools (BPS), the birthplace of public education in the United States, serves nearly 57,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 125 schools. BPS is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families, and students to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life.
ABOUT REVOLUTION FOODS:
Founded in 2006 by two moms on a mission to transform the way America eats, Revolution Foods set out to solve the problem of limited access to healthy meals. The company’s innovative approach began with serving freshly prepared, healthy meals to students in schools nationwide, and the company is now serving over two million school meals every week in 15 states. Parent and student demand for Revolution Foods products inspired the company to expand to the grocery store aisles and the company now offers a full line of healthy, ready-to-eat, on-the-go meals and snacks to nourish families throughout the day across breakfast, lunch and dinner. Revolution Foods meals and snacks can now also be found in more than 4,000 grocery stores nationwide, including Safeway, Target, Whole Foods, Acme, Harris Teeter, Shaw’s and Hannaford as well as Amazon.com. Revolution Foods believes in bringing things full circle – one percent of retail sales are donated to schools through the company’s “Feeding Good Fund,” which provides grants to schools who need equipment to serve freshly prepared meals to their students. Revolution Foods was listed in 2015 among Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies.
Press Release for Revolution Foods by Ditas Mauricio
