By Lenny Bernstein, Jun. 18, 2014, Washingtonpost.com

First lady Michelle Obama vowed again Wednesday to fight attempts to delay enforcement of school lunch nutrition standards, expressing surprise and regret at proposals in Congress that would allow some school districts to seek waivers from requirements that they offer more healthful fare.

“I find myself surprised that we’re here,” Obama told a handful of health and medical reporters in her office, “because just a few years ago, everybody was around the table celebrating this victory, that school nutrition standards had been improved for the first time in 30 years. And everyone was on board.”

“Of course it’s hard” to wean students off pizza, French fries and other high-fat, high-sodium foods that had been staples of school lunches before passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, she added. “We expected those challenges, particularly among our oldest kids, who’ve grown up eating junk food. But what we did not expect was for the grown-ups to…go along with them and say ‘well this is too hard, it costs too much money. So let’s just stop’.”

Last month, the House Appropriations Committee voted to allow school districts to temporarily opt out of school dietary requirements. Some school districts have complained that requiring whole wheat products and fruits and vegetables, in the name of reducing obesity among children and teens, has prompted older students to shun school lunches and breakfasts and is costing the districts money. The bill would allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give waivers to any school district whose lunch programs saw a net loss over six months.