April 14 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Maryland on Tuesday ruled against the Trump administration's plans to roll back regulations on school lunch standards, citing a procedural error.
District Judge George Hazel said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue violated the Administrative Procedure Act when the administration moved to weaken federal nutritional standards for breakfasts and lunches served to schoolchildren in 2018.
The rule change rolled back sodium limits and whole grain requirements.
The court said the rule ultimately ended up being different from the 2017 interim rule.
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"The court concludes that the rule is not inconsistent with federal law, does not reflect unexplained and arbitrary decision making, it does not represent an unacknowledged and unexplained change in position, and the USDA appropriately responded to public comments. The court does find, however, that the final rule is not a logical outgrowth of the interim final rule, so it must be vacated and remanded to the administrative agency for further proceedings," the court wrote.
Democracy Forward, which filed the 2019 lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Health School Food Maryland, hailed the ruling.
"This decision is a victory for children and families, for policymaking based on sound science, and for the rule of law. The Trump administration's unlawful rollback of important school meal nutrition standards jeopardized children's access to the nutritious foods they need to stay healthy," said Democracy Forward Executive Director Anne Harkavy.
"This victory shows, once again, that the Trump administration's pattern of unlawfully shutting the public out of policy changes that impact their health can't -- and won't -- stand."
The Trump administration proposed further rollbacks in January, giving schools a larger variety of vegetables to serve and making it easier for schools to serve entrees a la carte. The schools would also be allowed greater control in customizing meal patterns and meals. It also implements a performance-based review process to cut down on time spent on paperwork.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said the new proposed rule changes will lead to more children choosing to foods higher in calories, such as pizza, hamburgers and french fries.
