Students disgruntled with their school lunch options have taken to social media to tweet pictures of their unappetizing-looking food under the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama.
Hunter Whitney, a student at Wisconsin's Richmond Center High School, said this dish is called "Spanish rice" and that students aren't supplied with salt.
Had a very #healthylunch today. The apple definitely made up for the "mystery mush" #ThanksMichelleObama
@huntwhitney4 @karaschardt Looks more like Spanish moss.
@huntwhitney4 looks like floor sweepings mixed into fructose
The lunches, many Thanksgiving-themed, have to comply with the food regulations implemented by the USDA and championed by the first lady, who has taken on the challenge of fighting childhood obesity.
So disappointed in this modified Thanksgiving lunch.. @MichelleObama #ThanksMichelleObama
@EAGnews
But high schoolers, like senior Jess Sency, have been using the power of the internet to show off exactly what those regulations look like.
Sency wrote that this dish is supposed to be baked beans.
Yum school lunches #thanksmichelleobama
@Jess_Sency @Shutterbugfun What IS that supposed to be?
@Jess_Sency OMG- yuck a doodle doo
At Austin High School in Minnesota, Maya Wuertz's lunch was a small serving of apple sauce and a sad chicken burger.
It should be noted there may be healthier options or alternatives available that the students have chosen not to take.
This is my lunch. I'm in high school. #ThanksMichelleObama
@wuertznightmare @soylentbeige looks like nursing home lunch not lunch for growing teens
In July, Obama said she would "fight until the bitter end to make sure that every kid in this country continues to have the best nutrition that they can have."
#ThanksMichelleObama
The USDA guidelines implemented over the last few years include limits on calories, fat, sugar, and sodium for all food and drinks sold during the school day for 100,000 schools across the country.
#ThanksMichelleObama
This isn't the first time the hashtag has made the rounds — kids were also sharing questionable snapshots of their school meals back in April.
#ThanksMichelleObama
New school food rules set by Congress also require more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in school cafeterias.
#ThanksMichelleObama for this mystery meat in school lunches #MysteryTunaTuesday @PhatMatt28 @jared_raley_
@KG_2 Ick. Talk about a vomitous mass. @Just_a_Texan @PhatMatt28 @jared_raley_
But schools have struggled to get kids to eat the foods, and some have lost money as a result.
"If the kids don't eat the food, then all I have is healthy trash cans," Peggy Lawrence, director of nutrition at the Rockdale County Public Schools in Georgia, told the Huffington Post.
Call this Mac and cheese? #thanksMichelleObama
The USDA defended their guidelines in a statement to BuzzFeed News, claiming the students' photos "do not fully reflect the full range of choices students are provided."
A spokesperson wrote:
Independent research shows that a majority of American kids like healthier school lunches, the number of students that like their meals is growing, and that updated meal standards are working to help improve students' health. Students are always provided full servings of both fruits and vegetables as well as protein options, so clearly many of the photos posted do not fully reflect the full range of choices students are provided. Congress passed updated healthy school lunch standards, based on recommendations from pediatricians, with overwhelming bipartisan support to help reduce our country's childhood obesity epidemic and ensure kids are able to get nutritious food at school.