Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-School Food Purchase Study IV, 28599-28602 [2020-10206]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Food and Nutrition Service

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 93 (Wednesday, May 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28599-28602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10206]


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Notices
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 93 / Wednesday, May 13, 2020 / 
Notices

[[Page 28599]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--School Food Purchase Study IV

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a request 
for reinstatement with changes of a previously approved information 
collection under OMB Control Number 0584-0471, which expired on March 
21, 2012. This is the fourth in a series of studies designed to provide 
statistically valid national estimates of food acquisitions (both 
purchased foods and USDA Foods) made by school food authorities (SFAs) 
participating in the Federally supported school nutrition programs.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Jinee Burdg, MPP, RDN, LDN, Food 
and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock 
Place, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 
the attention of Jinee Burdg at 703-305-2576 or via email to 
[email protected]. Comments will also be accepted through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov, and 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All written comments will be open for public inspection at the 
office of the Food and Nutrition Service during regular business hours 
(8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) at 1320 Braddock Place, 
Alexandria, VA 22314.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Jinee Burdg 
at 703-305-2744.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions that were 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 on 
those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Title: School Food Purchase Study IV.
    Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: 0584-0471
    Expiration Date: 3/21/2012
    Type of Request: Reinstatement with changes of a previously 
approved OMB package.
    Abstract: This study is the fourth in a series of studies designed 
to provide statistically valid national estimates of food acquisitions 
(both purchased foods and USDA Foods) made by school food authorities 
(SFAs) participating in the Federally supported National School Lunch 
Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). In the decade 
following the release of the third School Food Purchase Study (SFPS 
III) report, the school nutrition environment has undergone 
considerable changes. Key among them are the provisions of the Healthy, 
Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-296) which required updated 
nutrition standards for the NSLP and SBP. These standards require meals 
to include greater quantities of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, 
and low-fat dairy and reduced sodium. These changes have affected the 
purchasing practices of SFAs in terms of the types, volume, and cost of 
foods. This study is restricted to public SFAs to allow for direct 
comparisons of the results (i.e., changes in the mix of acquired foods) 
to the prior study, SFPS III, which was conducted in SY 2009-2010. In 
addition, the study will describe food purchase practices of SFAs so 
that information associated with food purchasing efficiency can be 
provided to all SFAs.
    The study will include a nationally representative sample of 630 
public SFAs. At the onset of the study, State-level Child Nutrition 
Directors will email sampled SFAs of their selection in to the study 
and encourage their participation. All sampled SFAs will be invited to 
attend a study overview webinar that will provide details of the study 
and highlight the upcoming data collection activities. Following the 
webinar, SFAs will complete an online Survey of Food Purchase 
Practices, which will be pretested with four SFA Directors. For 
collection of food purchase data, SFAs will be assigned to one of four 
quarters of the school year, and invited to attend a food purchase data 
webinar held at the beginning of that quarter. SFAs will then submit 
detailed food purchase data (vendor summaries, invoices, etc.) for all 
food acquisitions made during their assigned quarter. This ensures that 
data are collected from SFAs across the entire school year and 
minimizes the burden on individual SFAs. It also allows for the 
examination of relationships between food purchasing practices and 
annual costs of foods to schools.
    To supplement the food purchase data provided by SFAs, State 
Distributing Agency Directors will provide USDA Foods procurement data 
for their sampled SFAs for each quarter. In addition, up to 25 of the 
top (most frequent) food service management companies (FSMCs) and food 
vendors serving sampled SFAs will be provided study background 
information so they are aware of the study and its purpose.
    Though the data collected from SFAs in SFPS IV are almost exactly 
the same as in the prior study, technological advances and a change in 
approach to the timing of the data collection activities account for 
differences in the burden estimate from the prior study. In SFPS III, 
sampled SFAs completed a paper-based survey of food purchase

[[Page 28600]]

practices and provided detailed food purchase data, all after the end 
of the quarter of the school year for which they were sampled. In this 
study, SFPS IV, the survey is web-based and will be completed by all 
SFAs at the beginning of the study, following OMB approval. SFAs will 
separately provide purchase data for their sampled quarter. In 
addition, to reduce SFA burden and help ensure the completeness of the 
data, all State Distributing Agencies will provide data on USDA Foods 
for the sampled SFAs in each quarter. Expanding the respondent groups 
from SFAs alone to including all SDAs, and collecting data from SDAs on 
a quarterly basis has increased the number of responses from those 
reported for the SFPS III study. Despite the increase in responses, 
however, the burden hours for the SFPS IV have decreased, because the 
activities for this study are estimated to take from 1 minute to 5.25 
hours to complete, as opposed to the SFPS III where the activities were 
estimated to take from 30 minutes to 10 hours to complete.
    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government and Business or 
Other-for-Profit. The respondents include Child Nutrition and State 
Distributing Agency Directors (State Government), SFA Directors (Local 
Government), and FSMCs and food vendors (For Profit Businesses).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The universe of participants is 
757, and 551 will respond to data collection activities and 206 will be 
non-respondents. This includes four SFA Directors for cognitive testing 
of the study instruments. In the main study, up to 49 Directors from 
State Child Nutrition Agencies and 49 Directors from State Distributing 
Agencies will respond to the data collection activity. Six hundred and 
thirty (630) SFA Directors within the contiguous United States will be 
invited to participate in the study; 504 will complete the Survey of 
Food Purchase Practices; and 424 will provide food purchase data. 
Twenty five (25) FSMCs/food vendors will be informed of the study via 
email and all will read the informational email and study brochure.
    Estimated Frequency of Response: Respondents will complete each 
data collection activity once. The estimate of frequency of responses 
across the entire collection is 14.0 (10,582/757): 18.3 (10,060/551) 
for respondents and 2.5 (522/206) for nonrespondents. State Child 
Nutrition Directors will respond twice; State Distributing Agencies 
will respond up to five times; FSMCs/vendors will respond twice to read 
the background material and study brochure; and SFA Directors will 
respond five times annually (to read the study brochure, to attend two 
webinars, complete the Survey of Food Purchase Practices, and provide 
detailed food purchase data for one quarter). The SFAs are assigned to 
one of the four quarters and will only report data for the one quarter. 
The expected response and non-response for these four quarters have 
been combined into one line item in the burden chart, instead of being 
broken down into the four quarters.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 10,582. This includes 10,060 for 
respondents and 522 for non-respondents.
    Estimated Time per Response per Respondent: The estimated time of 
response varies from 1 minute to 5.25 hours, depending on the activity. 
The estimated time per response across the entire collection is 0.46 
hours (4,844 hours/10,582 responses). We will cognitively test the 
survey with four SFA directors. The cognitive test of the survey will 
take 2 hours; this includes time to schedule and conduct the interview.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The total annual 
public reporting burden (see burden table below) for this collection of 
information is estimated at 4,844 hours; 4,835 for respondents and 9 
for nonrespondents.

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN13MY20.001



[[Page 28602]]


Pamilyn Miller,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-10206 Filed 5-12-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P