Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: In-Home Food Safety Behaviors and Consumer Education: Annual Observational Study, 92772-92774 [2016-30599]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 20, 2016 / Notices
Done at Washington, DC, on December 13,
2016.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2016–30600 Filed 12–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS–2016–0036]
Notice of Request for a New
Information Collection: In-Home Food
Safety Behaviors and Consumer
Education: Annual Observational
Study
Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing
its intention to collect information in
the form of observational studies to
inform the development of food safety
communication products and to
evaluate public health education and
communication activities.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
February 21, 2017.
ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested
persons to submit comments on this
information collection. Comments may
be submitted by one of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This
Web site provides the ability to type
short comments directly into the
comment field on this Web page or
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go
to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
• Mail, including CD–ROMs, etc.:
Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, Docket Clerk,
Patriots Plaza 3, 1400 Independence
Avenue SW., Mailstop 3782, Room 8–
163A, Washington, DC 20250–3700.
• Hand- or courier-delivered
submittals: Deliver to Patriots Plaza 3,
355 E Street SW., Room 8–163A,
Washington, DC 20250–3700.
Instructions: All items submitted by
mail or electronic mail must include the
Agency name and docket number FSIS–
2016–0036. Comments received in
response to this docket will be made
available for public inspection and
posted without change, including any
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:36 Dec 19, 2016
Jkt 241001
personal information, to https://
www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to background
documents or comments received, go to
the FSIS Docket Room at Patriots Plaza
3, 355 E Street SW., Room 8–164,
Washington, DC 20250–3700 between
8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina
Kouba, Office of Policy and Program
Development, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Room 6065,
South Building, Washington, DC 20250–
3700; (202) 720–5627.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: InHome Food Safety Behaviors and
Consumer Education: Annual
Observational Study.
Type of Request: New information
collection.
Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the
authority to exercise the functions of the
Secretary of Agriculture (7 CFR 2.18,
2.53) as specified in the Federal Meat
Inspection Act and the Poultry Products
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453 et seq.,
601 et seq.). FSIS protects the public by
verifying that meat and poultry products
are wholesome, not adulterated, and
properly marked, labeled, and packaged.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Food Safety and Inspection Service’s
Office of Public Affairs and Consumer
Education (USDA, FSIS, OPACE)
ensures that all segments of the farm-totable chain receive valuable food safety
information. The consumer education
programs developed by OPACE’s Food
Safety Education Staff inform the public
on how to safely handle, prepare, and
store meat, poultry, and processed egg
products to minimize incidence of
foodborne illness.
OPACE strives to continuously
increase consumer awareness of
recommended food safety practices with
the intent to improve food-handling
behaviors at home. OPACE shares its
messages through The Food Safe
Families campaign (a cooperative effort
of USDA, Food and Drug
Administration, and Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention); other
advertising; social media; AskKaren (an
online database of frequently asked food
safety questions); the FSIS Web site; the
Meat and Poultry Hotline; publications;
and events. These messages are focused
on the four core food safety behaviors:
Clean, separate, cook, and chill.
To test new consumer messaging and
tailor existing messaging, FSIS can help
ensure that it is effectively
communicating with the public and
working to improve consumer food
safety practices. This behavioral
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
research will provide insight into the
effect FSIS consumer outreach
campaigns have on consumers’ food
safety behaviors. The results of this
research will be used to enhance
messaging and accompanying materials
to improve their food safety behavior.
Additionally, this research will provide
useful information for tracking progress
toward the goals outlined in the FSIS
Fiscal Years 2017–2021 Strategic Plan.
To inform the development of food
safety communication products and to
evaluate public health education and
communication activities, FSIS is
requesting approval for a new
information collection to conduct
observational studies using an
experimental design. Previous research
suggests that self-reported data (e.g.,
surveys) on consumers’ food safety
practices are unreliable, thus
observational studies are a preferred
approach for collecting information on
consumers’ actual food safety practices.
These observational studies will help
FSIS assess adherence to the four
recommended food safety behaviors of
clean, separate, cook, and chill, and to
determine whether food safety
messaging focused on those behaviors
affects consumer food safety handling
behaviors and whether consumers
introduce cross-contamination during
food preparation. For this 3-year study,
FSIS plans to conduct an observational
study each year and to focus on a
different behavior, food and food
preparation task, and food safety
communication product each year. The
initial study will examine participants’
use of a food thermometer to determine
if meat and poultry products are cooked
to the proper temperatures. FSIS may
decide to continue to conduct these
studies annually, and if so, will request
a renewal to extend the expiration date
for the information collection request.
FSIS has contracted with RTI
International to conduct the
observational studies. The observational
studies will be conducted in North
Carolina State University’s test kitchen.
Participants will be recruited using
convenience sampling, and recruited
participants will reflect the
demographics of the U.S. population
with regard to race, ethnicity, age,
education, income, and household size.
Using a fully randomized experimental
design, participants will be assigned to
a treatment or control group. Treatment
participants will receive food safety
messaging prior to the study, while
control participants will receive
messaging unrelated to food safety.
Participants will be given ingredients
and asked to prepare a meal consisting
of ready to eat products and meat or
E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM
20DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 20, 2016 / Notices
poultry products. Prior to meal
preparation, the meat/poultry product
will be inoculated with a harmless
tracer bacterium or virus to assess the
extent of cross-contamination.
Researchers will video-record meal
preparation. Trained researchers will
subsequently view the videos and use a
coding rubric to assess adherence to
recommended practices and notational
analysis to assess recorded actions and
their frequency.
Following food preparation, trained
surface sample collectors will take
surface swab samples from multiple
sites within the test kitchen. The swabs
will be plated at a laboratory to
determine presence of the tracer
bacterium or virus and concentration of
the tracer if any is present. The presence
of this tracer will indicate that crosscontamination occurred during food
preparation. The level of crosscontamination will be compared across
the sampling sites to determine the
highest risk areas. Kitchen surfaces,
appliances, and other potentially
contaminated sites will be cleaned and
sanitized after each participant in order
to ensure that any bacterial samples
collected were from the participant’s
behaviors.
Participants will be asked to complete
an interview after the observation to
collect additional information on food
handling practices and what they would
do in particular situations when
practices could not be observed. Certain
relevant food handling practices are
unable to be observed during the course
of the in-person study; therefore,
participants will be asked to provide
information on these practices.
Statistical analysis will be conducted
comparing the differences in handling
behavior scores between the treatment
and control groups for the four food
handling behaviors. A comparative
analysis will also be conducted on the
samples collected from the designated
kitchen sites and food samples to
determine whether levels of crosscontamination differed between the two
groups, as well as to identify the kitchen
sites with the highest levels of
contamination. This information will
help to determine whether the food
safety communication products tested
in the experimental study affect
consumer food handling behavior and
thus help OPACE refine existing
materials or inform the development of
new food safety communication
products. Improving consumer food
safety practices in the home may help
to minimize incidence of foodborne
illness.
Estimate of Burden: Each year of the
3-year study, it is expected that 833
individuals will complete the webbased screener and it is assumed that
625 will be eligible and subsequently
contacted by phone to schedule an
appointment for the observation study.
92773
Of these, it is assumed that 500 will
agree to take part in the study and
schedule an appointment, and of these,
it is assumed that 400 will show up and
complete the observation study and
interview. Each web-screening is
expected to take 8 minutes (0.133 hour)
and each phone call to schedule an
appointment is expected to take 7
minutes (0.116 hour). Taking part in the
observation study appointment will take
a total of 120 minutes (2 hours): 15
minutes (0.25 hours) to obtain informed
consent and provide exposure to the
messaging, 90 minutes (1.5 hours) for
the meal preparation/observation, and
15 minutes (0.25 hours) for the postobservation interview. For each iteration
of the study, the estimated annual
reporting burden is 983.289 hours,
which is the sum of the burden
estimates for each component of the
study (including the burden for
consumers who initially completed the
web-based survey but do not agree to
participate or do not show up for the
observation study). For a 3-year study
the estimated total number of
individuals to be screened is 2,499 (833
each year) and the estimated total
number of individuals to complete the
observation study is 1,200 (400 each
year). The estimated total burden for the
3-year study is 2,949.867 hours (983.289
*3).
ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN FOR EACH ITERATION OF THE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
Estimated
number of
respondents
Study component
Annual
frequency per
response
Total annual
responses
Hours per
response
Total hours
833
625
1
1
833
625
0.133 (8 min.) ..........
0.116 (7 min.) ..........
110.789
72.5
400
400
400
1
1
1
400
400
400
0.25 (15 min.) ..........
1.5 (90 min.) ............
0.25 (15 min.) ..........
100.0
600.0
100.0
Total ....................................................................
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Web-based screening questionnaire .........................
Appointment phone script, confirmation email, reminder phone script.
Consent Form and Messaging ...................................
Food Preparation Task/Observation ..........................
Post-observation interview .........................................
........................
........................
........................
.................................
983.289
Respondents: Consumers.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,499.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Burden on
Respondents: 2,949.867 hours.
Copies of this information collection
assessment can be obtained from Gina
Kouba, Office of Policy and Program
Development, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, USDA, 1400
Independence SW., Room 6077, South
Building, Washington, DC 20250, (202)
690–6510.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:36 Dec 19, 2016
Jkt 241001
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of FSIS’s functions, including whether
the information will have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of FSIS’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information, including
through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
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Sfmt 4703
other technological collection
techniques, or other forms of
information technology. Comments may
be sent to both FSIS, at the addresses
provided above, and the Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, Washington,
DC 20253.
Responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
also become a matter of public record.
E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM
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92774
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 20, 2016 / Notices
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of
rulemaking and policy development is
important. Consequently, FSIS will
announce this Federal Register
publication on-line through the FSIS
Web page located at: https://
www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS also will make copies of this
publication available through the FSIS
Constituent Update, which is used to
provide information regarding FSIS
policies, procedures, regulations,
Federal Register notices, FSIS public
meetings, and other types of information
that could affect or would be of interest
to our constituents and stakeholders.
The Update is available on the FSIS
Web page. Through the Web page, FSIS
is able to provide information to a much
broader, more diverse audience. In
addition, FSIS offers an email
subscription service which provides
automatic and customized access to
selected food safety news and
information. This service is available at:
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe.
Options range from recalls to export
information, regulations, directives, and
notices. Customers can add or delete
subscriptions themselves, and have the
option to password protect their
accounts.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
No agency, officer, or employee of the
USDA shall, on the grounds of race,
color, national origin, religion, sex,
gender identity, sexual orientation,
disability, age, marital status, family/
parental status, income derived from a
public assistance program, or political
beliefs, exclude from participation in,
deny the benefits of, or subject to
discrimination any person in the United
States under any program or activity
conducted by the USDA.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
How To File a Complaint of
Discrimination
To file a complaint of discrimination,
complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, which
may be accessed online at https://
www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/
docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_
12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you
or your authorized representative.
Send your completed complaint form
or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email:
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250–9410, Fax: (202)
690–7442, Email: program.intake@
usda.gov.
Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:36 Dec 19, 2016
Jkt 241001
(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.),
should contact USDA’s TARGET Center
at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).
Done at Washington, DC, on December 15,
2016.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2016–30599 Filed 12–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Confidentiality Pledge Revision Notice
National Agricultural Statistics
Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Under 44 U.S.C. 3506(e), and
44 U.S.C. 3501, the National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is
renewing a revision to the
confidentiality pledge it provides to its
respondents under CIPSEA and Title 7,
Chapter 55, Section 2276. This renewal
will be valid for three years. The
revision was originally approved by the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) on December 1, 2016 under an
emergency request. The original request
was warranted by the passage and
implementation of provisions of the
Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act
of 2015 (H.R. 2029, Division N, Title II,
Subtitle B, Sec. 223), which permits and
requires the Secretary of Homeland
Security to provide federal civilian
agencies’ information technology
systems with cybersecurity protection
for their Internet traffic. More details on
this announcement are presented in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by February 21, 2017 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number 0535–0260,
by any of the following methods:
• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov.
Include docket number above in the
subject line of the message.
• E-fax: (855) 838–6382.
• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD–
ROM submissions to: David Hancock,
NASS Clearance Officer, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Room 5336
South Building, 1400 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–
2024.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand
deliver to: David Hancock, NASS
Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Room 5336, South
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250–2024.
SUMMARY:
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Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
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R.
Renee Picanso, Associate Administrator,
National Agricultural Statistics Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, (202)
720–4333, or email HQOA@
nass.usda.gov. Copies of this
information collection and related
instructions can be obtained without
charge from David Hancock, NASS—
OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 690–
2388 or at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under
CIPSEA; Title 7, Chapter 55, Section
2276; and similar statistical
confidentiality protection statutes, many
federal statistical agencies, including
NASS, make statutory pledges that the
information respondents provide will be
seen only by statistical agency
personnel or their sworn agents, and
will be used only for statistical
purposes. CIPSEA and Title 7, Chapter
55, Section 2276 protect such statistical
information from administrative, law
enforcement, taxation, regulatory, or any
other non-statistical use and immunize
the information submitted to statistical
agencies from legal process. Moreover,
many of these statutes carry criminal
penalties of a Class E felony (fines up to
$250,000, or up to five years in prison,
or both) for conviction of a knowing and
willful unauthorized disclosure of
covered information.
As part of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016
signed on December 17, 2015, the
Congress included the Federal
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015
(H.R. 2029, Division N, Title II, Subtitle
B, Sec. 223). This Act, among other
provisions, permits and requires the
Secretary of Homeland Security to
provide federal civilian agencies’
information technology systems with
cybersecurity protection for their
Internet traffic. The technology
currently used to provide this protection
against cyber malware is known as
‘‘Einstein 3A’’. It electronically searches
Internet traffic in and out of federal
civilian agencies in real time for
malware signatures.
When such a signature is found, the
Internet packets that contain the
malware signature are shunted aside for
further inspection by Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) personnel.
Because it is possible that such packets
entering or leaving a statistical agency’s
information technology system may
contain confidential statistical data,
statistical agencies can no longer
promise their respondents that their
responses will be seen only by statistical
agency personnel or their sworn agents.
However, they can promise, in
accordance with provisions of the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 92772-92774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30599]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2016-0036]
Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: In-Home Food
Safety Behaviors and Consumer Education: Annual Observational Study
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to collect
information in the form of observational studies to inform the
development of food safety communication products and to evaluate
public health education and communication activities.
DATES: Submit comments on or before February 21, 2017.
ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this
information collection. Comments may be submitted by one of the
following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the
ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on this
Web page or attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
Mail, including CD-ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Docket
Clerk, Patriots Plaza 3, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Mailstop 3782,
Room 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to Patriots
Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Room 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2016-0036. Comments
received in response to this docket will be made available for public
inspection and posted without change, including any personal
information, to https://www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, go
to the FSIS Docket Room at Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Room 8-
164, Washington, DC 20250-3700 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and
Program Development, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Room 6065, South Building, Washington, DC
20250-3700; (202) 720-5627.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: In-Home Food Safety Behaviors and
Consumer Education: Annual Observational Study.
Type of Request: New information collection.
Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the authority to exercise the
functions of the Secretary of Agriculture (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53) as
specified in the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453 et seq., 601 et seq.). FSIS protects the
public by verifying that meat and poultry products are wholesome, not
adulterated, and properly marked, labeled, and packaged.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection
Service's Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education (USDA, FSIS,
OPACE) ensures that all segments of the farm-to-table chain receive
valuable food safety information. The consumer education programs
developed by OPACE's Food Safety Education Staff inform the public on
how to safely handle, prepare, and store meat, poultry, and processed
egg products to minimize incidence of foodborne illness.
OPACE strives to continuously increase consumer awareness of
recommended food safety practices with the intent to improve food-
handling behaviors at home. OPACE shares its messages through The Food
Safe Families campaign (a cooperative effort of USDA, Food and Drug
Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); other
advertising; social media; AskKaren (an online database of frequently
asked food safety questions); the FSIS Web site; the Meat and Poultry
Hotline; publications; and events. These messages are focused on the
four core food safety behaviors: Clean, separate, cook, and chill.
To test new consumer messaging and tailor existing messaging, FSIS
can help ensure that it is effectively communicating with the public
and working to improve consumer food safety practices. This behavioral
research will provide insight into the effect FSIS consumer outreach
campaigns have on consumers' food safety behaviors. The results of this
research will be used to enhance messaging and accompanying materials
to improve their food safety behavior. Additionally, this research will
provide useful information for tracking progress toward the goals
outlined in the FSIS Fiscal Years 2017-2021 Strategic Plan.
To inform the development of food safety communication products and
to evaluate public health education and communication activities, FSIS
is requesting approval for a new information collection to conduct
observational studies using an experimental design. Previous research
suggests that self-reported data (e.g., surveys) on consumers' food
safety practices are unreliable, thus observational studies are a
preferred approach for collecting information on consumers' actual food
safety practices. These observational studies will help FSIS assess
adherence to the four recommended food safety behaviors of clean,
separate, cook, and chill, and to determine whether food safety
messaging focused on those behaviors affects consumer food safety
handling behaviors and whether consumers introduce cross-contamination
during food preparation. For this 3-year study, FSIS plans to conduct
an observational study each year and to focus on a different behavior,
food and food preparation task, and food safety communication product
each year. The initial study will examine participants' use of a food
thermometer to determine if meat and poultry products are cooked to the
proper temperatures. FSIS may decide to continue to conduct these
studies annually, and if so, will request a renewal to extend the
expiration date for the information collection request.
FSIS has contracted with RTI International to conduct the
observational studies. The observational studies will be conducted in
North Carolina State University's test kitchen. Participants will be
recruited using convenience sampling, and recruited participants will
reflect the demographics of the U.S. population with regard to race,
ethnicity, age, education, income, and household size. Using a fully
randomized experimental design, participants will be assigned to a
treatment or control group. Treatment participants will receive food
safety messaging prior to the study, while control participants will
receive messaging unrelated to food safety. Participants will be given
ingredients and asked to prepare a meal consisting of ready to eat
products and meat or
[[Page 92773]]
poultry products. Prior to meal preparation, the meat/poultry product
will be inoculated with a harmless tracer bacterium or virus to assess
the extent of cross-contamination. Researchers will video-record meal
preparation. Trained researchers will subsequently view the videos and
use a coding rubric to assess adherence to recommended practices and
notational analysis to assess recorded actions and their frequency.
Following food preparation, trained surface sample collectors will
take surface swab samples from multiple sites within the test kitchen.
The swabs will be plated at a laboratory to determine presence of the
tracer bacterium or virus and concentration of the tracer if any is
present. The presence of this tracer will indicate that cross-
contamination occurred during food preparation. The level of cross-
contamination will be compared across the sampling sites to determine
the highest risk areas. Kitchen surfaces, appliances, and other
potentially contaminated sites will be cleaned and sanitized after each
participant in order to ensure that any bacterial samples collected
were from the participant's behaviors.
Participants will be asked to complete an interview after the
observation to collect additional information on food handling
practices and what they would do in particular situations when
practices could not be observed. Certain relevant food handling
practices are unable to be observed during the course of the in-person
study; therefore, participants will be asked to provide information on
these practices.
Statistical analysis will be conducted comparing the differences in
handling behavior scores between the treatment and control groups for
the four food handling behaviors. A comparative analysis will also be
conducted on the samples collected from the designated kitchen sites
and food samples to determine whether levels of cross-contamination
differed between the two groups, as well as to identify the kitchen
sites with the highest levels of contamination. This information will
help to determine whether the food safety communication products tested
in the experimental study affect consumer food handling behavior and
thus help OPACE refine existing materials or inform the development of
new food safety communication products. Improving consumer food safety
practices in the home may help to minimize incidence of foodborne
illness.
Estimate of Burden: Each year of the 3-year study, it is expected
that 833 individuals will complete the web-based screener and it is
assumed that 625 will be eligible and subsequently contacted by phone
to schedule an appointment for the observation study. Of these, it is
assumed that 500 will agree to take part in the study and schedule an
appointment, and of these, it is assumed that 400 will show up and
complete the observation study and interview. Each web-screening is
expected to take 8 minutes (0.133 hour) and each phone call to schedule
an appointment is expected to take 7 minutes (0.116 hour). Taking part
in the observation study appointment will take a total of 120 minutes
(2 hours): 15 minutes (0.25 hours) to obtain informed consent and
provide exposure to the messaging, 90 minutes (1.5 hours) for the meal
preparation/observation, and 15 minutes (0.25 hours) for the post-
observation interview. For each iteration of the study, the estimated
annual reporting burden is 983.289 hours, which is the sum of the
burden estimates for each component of the study (including the burden
for consumers who initially completed the web-based survey but do not
agree to participate or do not show up for the observation study). For
a 3-year study the estimated total number of individuals to be screened
is 2,499 (833 each year) and the estimated total number of individuals
to complete the observation study is 1,200 (400 each year). The
estimated total burden for the 3-year study is 2,949.867 hours (983.289
*3).
Estimated Annual Reporting Burden for Each Iteration of the Observational Study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Annual
Study component number of frequency per Total annual Hours per response Total hours
respondents response responses
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web-based screening questionnaire............ 833 1 833 0.133 (8 min.)........................... 110.789
Appointment phone script, confirmation email, 625 1 625 0.116 (7 min.)........................... 72.5
reminder phone script.
Consent Form and Messaging................... 400 1 400 0.25 (15 min.)........................... 100.0
Food Preparation Task/Observation............ 400 1 400 1.5 (90 min.)............................ 600.0
Post-observation interview................... 400 1 400 0.25 (15 min.)........................... 100.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.................................... .............. .............. .............. ......................................... 983.289
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Respondents: Consumers.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,499.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: 2,949.867 hours.
Copies of this information collection assessment can be obtained
from Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety
and Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 Independence SW., Room 6077, South
Building, Washington, DC 20250, (202) 690-6510.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of FSIS's
functions, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of FSIS's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information, including
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques, or other forms of
information technology. Comments may be sent to both FSIS, at the
addresses provided above, and the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, DC 20253.
Responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of
public record.
[[Page 92774]]
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal
Register publication on-line through the FSIS Web page located at:
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS also will make copies of this publication available through
the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide information
regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register
notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information that
could affect or would be of interest to our constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the
Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more
diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email subscription
service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food
safety news and information. This service is available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or
delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password
protect their accounts.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status,
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs,
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or
activity conducted by the USDA.
How To File a Complaint of Discrimination
To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at https://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your
authorized representative.
Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax,
or email:
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410,
Fax: (202) 690-7442, Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Done at Washington, DC, on December 15, 2016.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2016-30599 Filed 12-19-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P
