With a tray of six chicken nuggets, a little ketchup, brown rice, cooked carrots, pineapple slices and a small milk carton, Republican Congressional candidate Matt Doheny sat down to lunch with Massena High School students.

It was a fact-finding meal of sorts because Doheny wanted to see first-hand how new federal nutrition standards setting an 850 calorie limit and smaller lunch portions were affecting students like Anthony Cortese.
 
"It's not enough food for me to get full,"  said Cortese.
 
For Doheny, the smaller portioned lunch was a dramatic change from what he remembers eating years ago as a high school student.
 
"And on top of it, we had a lot more options," said Doheny.
 
The stricter school lunch regulations have become part of Doheny's campaign to unseat incumbent Congressman Bill Owens (D. - 23rd District).

Owens says there is a simple fix to the school lunch problem.
 
"We need to provide healthy lunches, but we also need to provide enough calories to allow the children to perform well in school," he said.
 
A number of students were brown bagging their lunches from home and boycotting the school lunches, which cuts the revenue of school cafeterias.

In addition, some cafeteria food went uneaten and headed for the garbage.
                                                             
While smaller school lunches may be leaving a bad taste in some students months, Doheny feels the government should stay out of school cafeterias.
 
Green Party candidate Donald Hassig could not be reached for comment on the school lunch regulations.
 
One thing we did notice though, Doheny didn't finish his carrots.

He says he didn't have time because he was talking to students.