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 The states accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of ignoring
federal dietary guidelines and scientific research on children's
nutrition when it eased rules championed by former first lady
Michelle Obama to make school meals healthier.
New York, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont and
the District of Columbia said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue
acted in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner, and asked a Manhattan
federal judge to void the new sodium and whole grain standards.
"The Trump administration has undermined key health benefits for our
children . . . with deliberate disregard for science, expert
opinion, and the law," New York Attorney General Letitia James said
in a statement.
Spokespeople for the Department of Agriculture did not immediately
respond to requests for comment.
The changes announced last Dec. 6 affect the federally funded
National School Lunch Program, which was started by President Harry
Truman in 1946 and feeds more than 30 million, mostly lower-income
children.
They are among a series of White House-supported efforts to roll
back federal regulatory oversight that President Donald Trump
considers burdensome to business and economic growth.
The changes included cutting in half the amount of whole grains
required to be served starting in the 2019-20 school year, affording
schools more flexibility to offer noodles, tortillas and other foods
containing mainly refined grains.
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They also included a five-year delay in the maximum sodium target
scheduled for the next school year, and elimination of a sodium
target set for the 2022-23 school year.
Perdue has said his agency was committed to nutritious meals in
schools, but the changes acknowledged the "challenges" that schools
face serving appetizing yet healthy meals, while ensuring that food
would not be wasted.
Other changes included allowing schools to serve low-fat chocolate
milk, rather than fat-free milk.
The new rules set aside requirements under the Healthy Hunger-Free
Kids Act of 2010, which Michelle Obama had supported in her fight
against child obesity.
It had set new limits for calories, sodium and trans fats, while
requiring more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Excessive sodium intake has been linked to heart disease, high blood
pressure and stroke, while relatively higher refined grain
consumption has been linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and
obesity.
The case is New York et al v. U.S. Department of Agriculture et al,
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 19-02956.
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