BENSALEM, Pa. – Vending machine sales in schools have plummeted in Pennsylvania since the federal government tightened food restrictions at the behest of first lady Michelle Obama.

Instead of sweet treats, chips, and pretzels, students now have the choice of small packets of trail mix, baked chips, and water, and they’re opting to keep their money instead, the Bucks County Courier Times reports.

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“You can imagine people want a Snickers bar more than a bag of baked chips,” said Eric Cardonick, president of Advanced Services vending company.

Cardonick said sales are down 50 percent in schools since the federal government approved Michelle Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a trend that mirrors overall cafeteria sales in many schools.

Across the nation, school districts reported a serious downturn in cafeteria revenues as more than 1.2 million students dropped out of the National School Lunch Program because of federal restrictions on calories, fat, sugar, sodium, and other nutrition elements that now render school food inedible. Hundreds of school districts have also ditched the program because revenue losses tied to the changes far outweighed federal subsidies for the program, EAGnews reports.

Other federal requirements, such as a mandate that all students take a fruit or vegetable whether they want one or not, have increased annual school food waste by well over $1 billion since the new rules went into effect in 2012.

In Ohio, some schools are serving vending machine fare that complies with the federal government’s “guidelines” that students refuse to buy, while others have given up trying to generate a profit from the machines because of the rules.

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Richie Webb, director of food services for the Bristol Township School District, told the Courier Times snacks sold through vending machines in schools must be whole-grain, and less than 200 calories. They must also contain less than 230 milligrams of sodium and less than 35 percent fat.

“I can remember having an ice cream and Tastykake for lunch,” Webb said. “Those days are gone.”

And so is the revenue from the vending machines.

In the Bensalem Township School District the federal requirements meant the roughly $140,000 generated from vending machines before the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act has been reduced to about $40,000 a year, food service coordinator Pauline Welsh told the Courier Times.

In the Neshaminy School District, school officials filled some vending machines with beverages like water and juice, the machines no longer offer food at all.

“Currently, the student (beverage) machines are only stocked with compliant beverages (bottled water, juice, tea). The food vending machines in student areas are currently empty,” spokesman Chris Stanley said.

In the Centennial School District, vending machine food sales sent from about $73,925 in the 2009-10 school year to $29,019 last year, but made up for the loss through creative a la carte selections.

Several students told the news site they appreciate the healthy food, while others bemoaned the overbearing federal food regulations.

“We should have a choice if we want to eat healthy or not,” a Centennial student identified only as Chris told the Courier Times.

Student Lesyly Villarreal also pointed out that the federal food rules have seemingly given snack companies an excuse to rip students off. Smaller bags of chips designed to comply with the regulations are “filled up with air” to take the place of the missing food, Villarreal said, yet they cost 50 cents.

Students in schools coast to coast have sounded off about the impact of the federal government’s food police through protests and social media posts tagged #ThanksMichelleObama.

Many of the posts contain gruesome unidentifiable “healthy” food concoctions designed to comply with the federal regulations that undoubtedly went directly in the garbage.