Several U.S. states sue Trump administration over school lunch rules

Students eat a healthy lunch at Marston Middle School in San Diego, California, March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Blake

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Several U.S. states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, seeking to undo its recent decision to relax standards for restricting sodium content and requiring whole grains in school breakfasts and lunches.

In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the states accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of acting in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner in easing rules championed by former first lady Michelle Obama to make school lunches healthier.

The lawsuit was filed by New York, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

The Agriculture Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)