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Suit alleges administration made changes without public comment.

Compiled by staff

April 5, 2019

2 Min Read
michael flippo/ThinkstockPhotos

A group of six states and Washington, D.C., sued the Trump administration for rolling back school lunch nutrition standards put in place during the Obama presidency, The Hill reported. The states are New York, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont.

The lawsuit, filed April 3, is in response to a 2018 Trump administration rule that rolled back nutrition standards set in 2012 that gradually reduced the amount of salt in school lunches and increased whole grains.

The lawsuit asks a judge to overturn the changes, according to NBC Bay Area, saying they were carried out in an arbitrary and capricious manner. The government “significantly weakened” the standards without giving the public a chance to comment.

In addition, CNN reports the suit said changes from the 2018 rule "were not based on tested nutritional research, the latest Dietary Guidelines, or the 2009 Nutrition Board Study, as required by statute," and were therefore invalid.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue rolled out the rule changes in December saying, “USDA is committed to serving meals to kids that are both nutritious and satisfying. These common-sense flexibilities provide excellent customer service to our local school nutrition professionals, while giving children the world-class food service they deserve.”

But New York Attorney General Letitia James disagrees, "The Trump Administration has undermined key health benefits for our children -- standards for salt and whole grains in school meals -- with deliberate disregard for science, expert opinion, and the law.”

Here’s some Twitter chatter on the suit.

 

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