ALEXANDRIA, Va. – School officials are asking Congress to relax new regulations on school lunches.

New “healthier” lunch standards promoted by First Lady Michelle Obama have been phased in to public schools over the last two years, and the reaction from students has been not so good. Initially, hungry students complained they weren’t receiving enough food, and the USDA in 2012 removed restrictions on maximums for protein and grains, the Associated Press reports.

School lunch officials across the country have also complained about the increased cost of preparing the new meals, and lost revenue from students who refuse to purchase them. Some schools have even decided they’re better off dropping out of the federal lunch program altogether.

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Now, school nutrition directors are urging Congress and the Agriculture Department to take it a step further and repeal some of the requirements that are driving up costs and driving away customers, the AP reports.

“Some of the main challenges reported by school nutrition directors:

– Whole grains. While many kids have adapted to whole grain rolls, breads and even pizza crusts, some schools are having problems with whole grain-rich pastas, which can cook differently. …

– Sodium. Schools will have to lower the total sodium levels in school meals next school year and then will have to lower them even further by 2017. …

– Fruits and vegetables. The standards require every student to take a fruit or vegetable to create a balanced plate. …

– Healthier snacks. Schools will for the first time this year have to make sure that all foods, including vending machines and a la carte lines, meet healthier standards. While many schools already moved to make snacks healthier, others depend on snack money to help operate their lunch rooms and are worried about a sales dip.”

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Many USDA officials are apparently banking on the food industry’s ability to create healthy foods that that kids will actually eat.

“I’ll bet that five or seven years down the road, we’ll see kids eating healthy food and we’ll see acceptance,” USDA spokeswoman Janey Thornton told the news service.

Congressional Republicans, however, aren’t taking Thornton’s bet. They appear to be looking for a much more proactive approach to addressing the problems the new lunch standards have created, and are “eyeing the next five-year renewal of the school lunch policy, due in 2015,” the AP reports.

Meanwhile, White House officials seem content to simply ignore the problems.

“First and foremost, the key is not going back,” Sam Kass, senior White House policy advisor on nutrition, told the AP.