Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Coalition Of States Sues Trump Administration Over Its Decision To Relax Nutritional Standards For School Lunches
The Associated Press: 6 States, DC Sue Over Changes To School Lunch Rules
Six states and the District of Columbia sued the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, saying it weakened nutritional standards in school breakfasts and lunches when it relaxed the requirements affecting salt and refined grains last year. The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court asked a judge to overturn the changes, saying they were carried out in an arbitrary and capricious manner. (4/3)
Reuters: U.S. States Sue To Undo Trump Rollback Of Healthy School Lunch Rules
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. (Stempel, 4/3)
The New York Times: Trump Administration Sued Over Rollback Of School Lunch Standards
The attorney general of New York, Letitia James, announced the lawsuit outside a Brooklyn elementary school, Public School 67, which serves residents of the Ingersoll Houses, a low-income apartment complex run by New York City. Ms. James said 99 percent of those students qualified for free or reduced-price meals before 2017, when the city made school lunches free for all students. With local officials, parents, a pediatrician and antihunger advocates at her side, Ms. James said the Trump administration, by rolling back nutritional requirements, was “attacking the health and the safety of our children,” particularly the poorest, including the two million across the state who live in poverty. (Green and Piccoli, 4/3)
The Wall Street Journal: States Sue Trump Administration Over Rollback Of School-Lunch Nutrition Standards
In December, the Agriculture Department unveiled its final plans to loosen those standards, which mandated that carbohydrate-rich foods—like pizza, pasta or hamburger buns—be made with whole grains, and targeted an overall reduction in sodium content in elementary school lunches to 640 milligrams. The new standards require schools to serve whole grains in only half the items on their lunch menus, and maintain the overall sodium limit at 1,230 milligrams. The maximum recommended daily sodium intake is about 1,900 milligrams for that age group, according to government dietary guidelines. (Hackman, 4/3)
