A food fight is under way in our nation's capital – with rivals tossing words, not stuff from their plates. The president's wife, Michelle Obama, is responding forcefully after what she sees as efforts to undercut new federal nutritional guidelines for school meals. Serving healthier food in cafeterias aids academic performance and helps students develop better eating habits, she said last week at a forum with educators. The event was a reaction to Republican-backed legislation that would let some schools bypass healthier school food standards.

"We're now seeing efforts in Congress to roll back these new standards," Mrs. Obama says. "And this is unacceptable. It's unacceptable not just to me as first lady, but as a mother." The presidential family includes two daughters -- Malia, 15, and Sasha, who turns 13 next week.

Under a law that President Obama signed in December 2010, public schools serve more fruits and vegetables than they did earlier and have cut the amount of sweets and processed foods in cafeterias. The standards also limit the calorie count of school meals and will regulate salt levels, starting this fall. The moves are part of an effort to fight childhood obesity, but the rigid rules sparked a backlash among students, cafeteria managers and Congress members. Some districts say they’re forced to buy healthier, often more expensive food that students don’t want.

Michelle Obama says: "The last thing we afford to do right now is play politics with our kids' health." – At May 27 event in Washington., D.C.

Critic says: "Thousands of school cafeteria professionals have shown how these overly prescriptive regulations are hindering their effort to get students to eat healthy school meals." -- Leah Schmidt, president of the School Nutrition Association

U.S. House member says: "Fewer kids are buying school lunches, and that undermines the intention to increase healthy eating in schools. This ultimately jeopardizes the economics of the program in many counties." -- Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama