DES MOINES, Iowa – Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz told an audience at a campaign stop in Des Moines over the weekend that “When Heidi’s the first lady, French fries are coming back to the cafeteria!”

The comment about his wife, Heidi Cruz, is a jab at current first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to impose strict restrictions on calories, fat, sugar, sodium and other aspects of school food in recent years. The wildly unpopular changes to school foods, imposed through the National School Lunch Program, has convinced more than 1.4 million students to drop out of the program since they went into effect in 2012.

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“Maybe it’s just me, but I kind of think cardboard belongs in the trays, and not in the meals,” the Texas senator told the crowd after an introduction by his wife, according to Biz Pac Review.

Cruz reportedly made the promise “to all school aged kids” at stops both Saturday and Sunday, BuzzFeed reports.

The news site and others poked fun at the promise, though parents, students and cafeteria workers across the country struggling with the new school food rules certainly appreciate it.

“With the Iowa Caucuses on Monday night, Ted Cruz may have just discovered a crucial voting bloc: children who cannot vote,” BuzzFeed’s David Mack wrote.

Political pundits and others sounded off on Twitter, as well.

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“Ted Cruz wins the under 10 vote by promising to return French fries to school lunches,” RedState.com managing editor Leon Wolf posted.

Jason Maniac Johnson, “chief strategist, Cruz for President,” responded to Wolf: “and lunch ladies across America.”

“Is he running for student body pres?” Cory Marquetti questioned on Twitter.

“French fries, not #FreedomFries?” Charles Gaba posted. “Why does @TedCruz hate America?”

Meanwhile, students across the country continue to post images of their unappetizing school lunches to Twitter with the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama.

“The ‘fruit juice’ I got looked like this,” nebershaban wrote today with an image of what appears to be a slush filled cardboard juice container.

Twitter user The AsianAnnie also used the tagline recently to bring attention to an unidentifiable slop she was served for lunch.

Other recent images include grossly overcooked meatball sandwiches, green slime covered carrots, stomach turning barbeque pulled something, expired slushies, and a seriously disgusting looking slop identified by student Hunter Whitney as “mystery mush.”