Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Food Safety Behaviors and Consumer Education: Focus Group Research, 55079-55081 [2017-25099]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 222 / Monday, November 20, 2017 / Notices
nshattuck on DSK9F9SC42PROD with NOTICES
distributed throughout the United
States. The regulations in ‘‘SubpartFruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56
through 319.56–50), referred to as the
regulations, allow a number of fruits
and vegetables to be imported into the
United States, under specified
conditions, from certain parts of the
world. The Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) requires that
some plants or plant products be
accompanied by a phytosanitary
inspection certificate that is completed
by plant health officials in the
originating or transiting country.
Need and Use of the Information:
APHIS uses the following information
activities phytosanitary certificate, fruit
fly monitoring records and the labeling
of boxes to allow a number of fruits and
vegetables to be imported in the United
States under specified condition from
certain parts of the world. This
information is used as a guide to the
intensity of the inspection that APHIS
must conduct when the shipment
arrives. Without the information, all
shipments would need to be inspected
very thoroughly, thereby requiring
considerably more time. This would
slow the clearance of international
shipments.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for profit; Federal Government.
Number of Respondents: 1,112.
Frequency of Responses:
Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 480.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
Title: Bees and Related Articles.
OMB Control Number: 0579–0207.
Summary of Collection: The Plant
Protection Act (APA) (7 U.S.C. 7701 et
seq.), authorizes the Secretary of
Agriculture to prohibit or restrict the
importation, entry, or interstate
movement of plants, plant products, and
other articles to prevent the
introduction of plant pests into the
United States or their dissemination
within the United States.
Under the Honeybee Act (7 U.S.C.
281–286), the Secretary is authorized to
prohibit or restrict the importation of
honeybees and honeybee semen to
prevent the introduction into the United
States of diseases and parasites harmful
to honeybees and of undesirable species
and subspecies of honeybees. The
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and
Quarantine (PPQ), is responsible for
implementing the intent of these Acts,
and does so through the enforcement of
its pollinator and bee regulations.
Need and Use of the Information:
APHIS collects information from a
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15:15 Nov 17, 2017
Jkt 244001
variety of individuals who are involved
in breeding, exporting, importing, and
containing bees and related articles. The
information APHIS collects serves as the
supporting documentation needed to
issue required PPQ forms and
documents that allow importation of
bees and related articles or authorizes
the release of bees. This documentation
is vital to helping APHIS ensure that
exotic bee diseases and parasites, and
undesirable species and subspecies of
honeybees, do not spread into or within
the United States. Without the
information, APHIS could not verify
that imported bees and related articles
do not present a significant risk of
introducing exotic bee disease,
parasites, and undesirable species and
subspecies of honeybees.
Description of Respondents:
Businesses or other-for-profit; Foreign
Federal Government.
Number of Respondents: 18.
Frequency of Responses:
Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 50.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017–25066 Filed 11–17–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS–2017–0042]
Notice of Request for a New
Information Collection: Food Safety
Behaviors and Consumer Education:
Focus Group Research
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 from
focus groups on consumer food safety
knowledge, attitudes, and practices and
to elicit consumer responses to FSIS
food safety messages and determine
their impact on consumer food safety
knowledge and behavior.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
January 19, 2018.
ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested
persons to submit comments on this
information collection. Comments may
be submitted by one of the following
methods:
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00002
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55079
• 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–
2017–0042. 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: Food Safety Behaviors and
Consumer Education: Focus Group
Research.
Type of Request: New information
collection.
Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the
authority to exercise the functions of the
Secretary (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53) as specified
in the Federal Meat Inspection Act
(FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), and the
Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA)
(21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.). FSIS protects
the public by verifying that meat and
poultry products are safe, wholesome,
not adulterated, and correctly labeled
and packaged.
FSIS’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 inform the public how to safely
handle, prepare, and store meat,
poultry, and processed egg products so
E:\FR\FM\20NON1.SGM
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55080
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 222 / Monday, November 20, 2017 / Notices
as to minimize incidence of foodborne
illness.
OPACE strives to continuously
increase consumer awareness of
recommended food safety practices and
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 [FDA],
and Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention [CDC]); social media;
AskKaren (an online database of
frequently asked food safety questions);
the FSIS Web site; FoodSafety.gov (a
Web site operated by FSIS, FDA and
CDC used to promote safe food handling
to consumers); the Meat and Poultry
Hotline; and various publications and
events. These messages are focused on
the four core food safety behaviors:
Clean, separate, cook, and chill.
By testing planned and tailoring
existing consumer messaging, FSIS can
better ensure that it is effectively
communicating with the public to
improve consumer food safety practices.
Findings from the proposed focus group
research will provide insight into how
to effectively inform consumers about
recommended safe food handling
practices. The results of this research
will be used to enhance messaging to
improve consumers’ food safety
behaviors and help prevent foodborne
illness.
To collect information on consumer
food safety knowledge, attitudes, and
practices, and to elicit consumer
responses to FSIS food safety messages
and determine their impact on
consumer food safety knowledge and
behavior, FSIS is requesting approval
for a new information collection to
conduct consumer focus groups. Focus
groups are typically used for developing
and testing health communication
messages. Qualitative research is
particularly useful in studies such as
this one, in which the research is
exploratory in nature. These findings
help provide insight and direction into
the topics of interest and provide an
understanding of the target audience’s
attitudes and behaviors.
FSIS has contracted with RTI
International to conduct two series of
focus groups with adults. Each series
will include 16 focus groups. The first
series will be conducted in Fiscal Year
(FY) 2018, and the second series will be
conducted in FY 2020.
In FY 2018, two sets of focus groups
will be conducted, with eight groups per
set. The first set of focus groups (Set 1)
in FY 2018 will be conducted with
parents who have children younger than
18 years old. In Set 1, two focus groups
will be conducted in each of four
different locations. In each location, one
group will be conducted with Englishspeaking adults and one group with
Spanish-speaking adults. The groups
will be segmented by education level to
increase the homogeneity of the groups.
The second set of eight focus groups
(Set 2) in FY 2018 will be conducted
with English-speaking adults who have
intentionally prepared meat or poultry
dishes at home to be served
undercooked or raw, such as chicken
liver pate, hamburgers cooked rare or
medium rare, kibbeh, raw meat
sandwiches, or beef tartare. The groups
will be segmented by type of food and
conducted in locations where
consumption of these foods is common
based on ethnic, cultural, or other
traditions.
A second series of focus groups will
be conducted in FY 2020 with a total of
16 focus groups. The topics for these
groups have yet to be determined and
will ultimately inform the development
of communication campaigns on
foodborne illness prevention.
For each series of focus groups, a local
market research company in each
location will recruit potential
participants from their databases and
other sources. They will also provide
the facilities for hosting the focus group
discussions. Using convenience
sampling, a non-probability sampling
technique where subjects are selected
because of their convenient accessibility
instead of random selection, the market
research companies will recruit
potential participants who meet the
eligibility criteria as defined by the
screening questionnaires.
An experienced moderator will
conduct the focus group discussions
and use a facilitator guide, which will
serve as an outline and provide
structure for the focus group
discussions. Each focus group
discussion will be professionally
recorded (audio and video) by the local
market research companies. The audiorecordings will be professionally
transcribed. The moderators will review
the video-recordings and transcripts of
the focus group discussions and prepare
a detailed summary of each discussion.
The moderators will then analyze the
summaries to identify common themes
and any exceptions to these themes. The
contractor will summarize these
findings in a final report to FSIS. No
statistical analyses will be conducted.
Estimate of Burden: For each series of
16 focus groups, it is expected that
1,280 individuals will complete the
screening questionnaire, and it is
assumed that 160 will be eligible and
subsequently agree to participate in the
focus group study (10 people per group).
Each screening questionnaire is
expected to take 8 minutes (0.133 hour).
Taking part in the focus group
discussion will take a total of 90
minutes (1.5 hours). For each series of
16 focus groups, the estimated annual
reporting burden is 410.24 hours, which
is the sum of the burden estimates for
the screening and focus group
discussion. For the two series of focus
groups (32 groups total), the estimated
total number of individuals to be
screened is 2,560 (1,280 each year) and
the estimated total number of
individuals to take part in the focus
group discussions is no more than 320
(160 each year). The estimated total
burden for the two series of focus
groups is 820.48 hours (410.24 * 2).
ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN FOR THE FY 2018 FOCUS GROUP STUDY
Estimated
number of
respondents
Study component
Annual
frequency per
response
Total annual
responses
Hours per
response
Total hours
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Screening questionnaire ..............................................
Focus group discussion ...............................................
1,280
160
1
1
1,280
160
0.133 (8 min.) ........
1.5 (90 min.) ..........
170.24
240
Total ......................................................................
........................
........................
........................
................................
410.24
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15:15 Nov 17, 2017
Jkt 244001
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 222 / Monday, November 20, 2017 / Notices
55081
ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN FOR THE FY 2020 FOCUS GROUP STUDY
Estimated
number of
respondents
Study component
Annual
frequency per
response
Total annual
responses
Hours per
response
Total hours
Screening questionnaire ..............................................
Focus group discussion ...............................................
1,280
160
1
1
1,280
160
0.133 (8 min.) ........
1.5 (90 min.) ..........
170.24
240
Total ......................................................................
........................
........................
........................
................................
410.24
nshattuck on DSK9F9SC42PROD with NOTICES
Respondents: Consumers.
Estimated No. of Respondents: 2,560.
Estimated No. of Annual Responses
per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Burden on
Respondents: 820.48 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 method 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.
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:15 Nov 17, 2017
Jkt 244001
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).
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Done at Washington, DC, on: November 15,
2017.
Paul Kiecker,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017–25099 Filed 11–17–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Announcement of Loan Application
Procedures, and Deadlines for the
Rural Energy Savings Program
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
Notice of Funding Availability
(NOFA); the RESP application process
and deadlines.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Rural Utilities Service
(RUS), an agency of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), is
announcing funding availability and is
soliciting letters of intent for loan
applications under the Rural Energy
Savings Program (RESP), announcing
the application process for those loans
and deadlines for applications from
eligible entities. These loans are made
available under the authority of Section
6407 of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002, as amended,
(Section 6407) and the Title III, Section
769 of the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2017. This notice describes the
eligibility requirements, the application
process and deadlines, the criteria that
will be used by RUS to assess
Applicants’ creditworthiness, and how
to obtain application materials.
DATES: The application process consists
of two steps. To be considered for this
funding, Applicants must submit their
documentation no later than the
mandatory dates set forth herein.
Step 1: To be considered for financing
pursuant to this notice, an Applicant
seeking financing must submit a Letter
of intent to apply, as provided herein,
in an electronic Portable Document
Format (PDF), not to exceed 10 MB in
size, by electronic mail (email) to
RESP@wdc.usda.gov no later than 11:59
p.m. (EST) on January 19, 2018. Late or
incomplete Letters of Intent will not be
considered by RUS.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\20NON1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 222 (Monday, November 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55079-55081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25099]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2017-0042]
Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Food Safety
Behaviors and Consumer Education: Focus Group Research
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 from focus groups on consumer food safety knowledge,
attitudes, and practices and to elicit consumer responses to FSIS food
safety messages and determine their impact on consumer food safety
knowledge and behavior.
DATES: Submit comments on or before January 19, 2018.
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-2017-0042. 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: Food Safety Behaviors and Consumer Education: Focus Group
Research.
Type of Request: New information collection.
Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the authority to exercise the
functions of the Secretary (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53) as specified in the
Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), and the
Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.). FSIS
protects the public by verifying that meat and poultry products are
safe, wholesome, not adulterated, and correctly labeled and packaged.
FSIS'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 inform the public how to safely handle, prepare, and
store meat, poultry, and processed egg products so
[[Page 55080]]
as to minimize incidence of foodborne illness.
OPACE strives to continuously increase consumer awareness of
recommended food safety practices and 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 [FDA], and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[CDC]); social media; AskKaren (an online database of frequently asked
food safety questions); the FSIS Web site; FoodSafety.gov (a Web site
operated by FSIS, FDA and CDC used to promote safe food handling to
consumers); the Meat and Poultry Hotline; and various publications and
events. These messages are focused on the four core food safety
behaviors: Clean, separate, cook, and chill.
By testing planned and tailoring existing consumer messaging, FSIS
can better ensure that it is effectively communicating with the public
to improve consumer food safety practices. Findings from the proposed
focus group research will provide insight into how to effectively
inform consumers about recommended safe food handling practices. The
results of this research will be used to enhance messaging to improve
consumers' food safety behaviors and help prevent foodborne illness.
To collect information on consumer food safety knowledge,
attitudes, and practices, and to elicit consumer responses to FSIS food
safety messages and determine their impact on consumer food safety
knowledge and behavior, FSIS is requesting approval for a new
information collection to conduct consumer focus groups. Focus groups
are typically used for developing and testing health communication
messages. Qualitative research is particularly useful in studies such
as this one, in which the research is exploratory in nature. These
findings help provide insight and direction into the topics of interest
and provide an understanding of the target audience's attitudes and
behaviors.
FSIS has contracted with RTI International to conduct two series of
focus groups with adults. Each series will include 16 focus groups. The
first series will be conducted in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, and the second
series will be conducted in FY 2020.
In FY 2018, two sets of focus groups will be conducted, with eight
groups per set. The first set of focus groups (Set 1) in FY 2018 will
be conducted with parents who have children younger than 18 years old.
In Set 1, two focus groups will be conducted in each of four different
locations. In each location, one group will be conducted with English-
speaking adults and one group with Spanish-speaking adults. The groups
will be segmented by education level to increase the homogeneity of the
groups.
The second set of eight focus groups (Set 2) in FY 2018 will be
conducted with English-speaking adults who have intentionally prepared
meat or poultry dishes at home to be served undercooked or raw, such as
chicken liver pate, hamburgers cooked rare or medium rare, kibbeh, raw
meat sandwiches, or beef tartare. The groups will be segmented by type
of food and conducted in locations where consumption of these foods is
common based on ethnic, cultural, or other traditions.
A second series of focus groups will be conducted in FY 2020 with a
total of 16 focus groups. The topics for these groups have yet to be
determined and will ultimately inform the development of communication
campaigns on foodborne illness prevention.
For each series of focus groups, a local market research company in
each location will recruit potential participants from their databases
and other sources. They will also provide the facilities for hosting
the focus group discussions. Using convenience sampling, a non-
probability sampling technique where subjects are selected because of
their convenient accessibility instead of random selection, the market
research companies will recruit potential participants who meet the
eligibility criteria as defined by the screening questionnaires.
An experienced moderator will conduct the focus group discussions
and use a facilitator guide, which will serve as an outline and provide
structure for the focus group discussions. Each focus group discussion
will be professionally recorded (audio and video) by the local market
research companies. The audio-recordings will be professionally
transcribed. The moderators will review the video-recordings and
transcripts of the focus group discussions and prepare a detailed
summary of each discussion. The moderators will then analyze the
summaries to identify common themes and any exceptions to these themes.
The contractor will summarize these findings in a final report to FSIS.
No statistical analyses will be conducted.
Estimate of Burden: For each series of 16 focus groups, it is
expected that 1,280 individuals will complete the screening
questionnaire, and it is assumed that 160 will be eligible and
subsequently agree to participate in the focus group study (10 people
per group). Each screening questionnaire is expected to take 8 minutes
(0.133 hour). Taking part in the focus group discussion will take a
total of 90 minutes (1.5 hours). For each series of 16 focus groups,
the estimated annual reporting burden is 410.24 hours, which is the sum
of the burden estimates for the screening and focus group discussion.
For the two series of focus groups (32 groups total), the estimated
total number of individuals to be screened is 2,560 (1,280 each year)
and the estimated total number of individuals to take part in the focus
group discussions is no more than 320 (160 each year). The estimated
total burden for the two series of focus groups is 820.48 hours (410.24
* 2).
Estimated Annual Reporting Burden for the FY 2018 Focus Group Study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Annual
Study component number of frequency per Total annual Hours per response Total hours
respondents response responses
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screening questionnaire...................... 1,280 1 1,280 0.133 (8 min.)........................... 170.24
Focus group discussion....................... 160 1 160 1.5 (90 min.)............................ 240
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.................................... .............. .............. .............. ......................................... 410.24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 55081]]
Estimated Annual Reporting Burden for the FY 2020 Focus Group Study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Annual
Study component number of frequency per Total annual Hours per response Total hours
respondents response responses
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screening questionnaire...................... 1,280 1 1,280 0.133 (8 min.)........................... 170.24
Focus group discussion....................... 160 1 160 1.5 (90 min.)............................ 240
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.................................... .............. .............. .............. ......................................... 410.24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Respondents: Consumers.
Estimated No. of Respondents: 2,560.
Estimated No. of Annual Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: 820.48 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
method 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.
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: November 15, 2017.
Paul Kiecker,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-25099 Filed 11-17-17; 8:45 am]
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