Michelle Obama launches scathing attack on Trump policy: 'Why is someone OK with your kids eating crap?'

'Why don't you want our kids to have good food at school?' the former first lady asks

Michelle Obama has strongly condemned Donald Trump's rollbacks of her signature children's health initiative, accusing the administration of not caring about kids.

"Moms, think about this," the former first lady said at an annual health conference in Washington. "...Think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap."

"Here's the secret," she added, "If somebody is doing that, they don't care about your kid."

The remarks come weeks after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced changes to the National School Lunch Programme – a key fixture of Ms Obama's campaign to combat childhood obesity.

The law places limits on the amount of sodium, sugar and fat allowed in school lunches, and encourages the inclusion of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Republicans have long held that the program is too costly, and results in fewer children eating school meals. The USDA reports school districts and states spent $1.22 billion more on school meals in 2015, but saw decreased student participation.

Mr Perdue announced a more relaxed set of rules this month, saying he had heeded "years of feedback" from students, schools, and experts about the challenges of meeting the regulations. Under the new rules, schools are no longer obligated to hit requirements for reduced sodium and increased whole grains in their meals.

"Try eating a biscuit made with whole grains," Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts said upon announcing the new regulations. "It just doesn't work!"

But Ms Obama hit back on Friday, asking the administration, "What is wrong with you?"

"You have to stop and think, 'Why don't you want our kids to have good food at school?'" Ms Obama said, adding, "Why is that a partisan issue?"

The comments came as part of her remarks to the Partnership for a Healthier American 2017 Healthier Future Summit, which was sponsored by the nonprofit that helped fund her anti-obesity initiative.

The former first lady was forced to defend another of her signature policies earlier this month, when it was reported that the White House may be cancelling the "Let Girls Learn" Initiative. The programme, which recently announced $5 million in private sector donations, is dedicated to expanding girls' access to education worldwide.

Ms Obama refrained from discussing that development specifically, but slipped a simple mention of it into her tweet a few days later: “Barack & I will continue to champion the issues close to our hearts," she wrote, "including girls ed.”