[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 194 (Wednesday, October 7, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60616-60617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25444]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--USDA Foods in Schools Cost Dynamics
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites the general public and other
public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection.
This is a new collection for a study of USDA Foods in Schools Cost
Dynamics.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received on or before
December 7, 2015.
ADDRESSES: 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 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.
Comments may be sent to: Dennis Ranalli, Policy Analyst, Office of
Policy Support, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302.
Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of Dennis
Ranalli at 703-305-2576 or via email to [email protected].
Comments will also be accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal.
Go to http://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 3101 Park Center Drive,
Room 1014, Alexandria, Virginia 22301.
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
should be directed to Dennis Ranalli at 703-305-2149.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: USDA Foods in Schools Cost Dynamics.
Form Number: N/A.
OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: USDA Foods play an important role in school meals and may
contribute up to 20% of the foods served in school meals through the
National School Lunch Program (NSLP). States and School Food
Authorities (SFAs) receive a USDA Foods entitlement to acquire products
offered through the USDA Foods program. USDA Foods can be directly
delivered from USDA's vendor to state warehouses, distributors, buying
cooperatives, or SFAs. Fruits and vegetables can be requisitioned
through the Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program. Bulk USDA Foods can be sent directly to a processor to create
final products for use in school meals.
An SFA's costs of using USDA Foods begin with how it spends its
entitlement, which is managed by State Distribution Agencies (SDAs).
SFAs incur additional costs to obtain USDA Foods for procurement,
storage, distribution and administration. These functions are performed
by a variety of agencies involved in this process (FNS, SDAs, storage/
distribution contractors, SFAs and schools). SDAs may absorb some of
these costs. Finally, the model of contracting with food processors may
affect the full cost of USDA Foods to SFAs--whether the contract is a
payment for final product (with a rebate or discount for the SFA) or a
payment for service, i.e., for transforming the USDA Food into a final
product.
While several USDA-funded studies have examined SFA food purchasing
practices and have compared foods purchased by SFAs with commercial
products, very little research has focused specifically on the full
cost of USDA Foods used in school meals. The most recent study on this
topic, and the model for the current study, is the State Commodity
Distribution System study covering the 1985-86 school year.
The proposed study will examine the variety of factors that
determine the cost and value of USDA Foods to local school and school
district food programs. The objectives of the study are to (1) identify
distribution models (including procurement, transportation, storage and
delivery) used by 49 states and the District of Columbia to distribute
USDA Foods to schools; (2) identify 4 to 10 procurement and
distribution models that represent the state systems used in School
Year (SY) 2015-16; and (3) develop cost estimates for a group of USDA
Foods, full processed products made from USDA Foods, and comparable
commercial products.
Affected Public: Respondent groups include: (1) State officials
with responsibility for USDA Food provision and (2) directors of school
food authorities.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 440-950. The proposed final
samples will include State Distribution Agencies in up to 49 States and
the District of Columbia, and 112-280 unique SFAs, depending on how
many distribution models are studied (Kansas is excluded because it
receives cash payments in lieu of USDA foods). The number studied will
be determined on the basis of the results of the survey of SDAs.
Estimated Frequency of Responses per Respondent: All respondents
will be asked to respond to each instrument only once.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 440-950, depending on the number
of distribution models studied.
Estimated Time per Response: 43 minutes (0.72 hours). The estimated
response time varies from 5 minutes for notifications of the surveys to
360 minutes (6 hours), depending on the survey and the respondent
group, as shown in the following table.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 308 to 693 hours.
[[Page 60617]]
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Total annual
Data collection Estimated Frequency of Total annual Average hours burden
Affected public activity Respondents number of response responses per response estimate
respondents (hours)
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State........................... Notify state State education 50 1 50 0.08 4
officials of web agency financial
survey. officer.
State........................... Self-Administered Non-respondents... 3 1 3 0.08 0.2
Web Survey.
(Administrative State education 47 1 47 1.0 47
data on USDA Food agency financial
costs). officer.
State........................... Notify state State education 8-20 1 8-20 0.25 2-5
officials of in- agency financial
person interview. officer.
State........................... In-person State education 8-20 1 8-20 6 48-120
interview of agency financial
state officer.
distribution
agency
(Additional
information on
USDA Food costs).
Local and Tribal................ Notify local and Foodservice 112-280 1 112-280 0.08 9.0-22.4
tribal officials director.
of web survey.
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 12-30 1 12-30 0.08 1.0-2.4
Web Survey.
(Administrative Foodservice 100-250 1 100-250 0.75 75.0-187.5
data on USDA Food director.
costs).
Phone Follow-up Nonrespondents.... 20-50 1 20-50 0.08 1.6-4.0
Survey.
(Administrative Foodservice 80-200 1 80-200 1.5 120-300
data on USDA Food director.
costs).
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Grand Total................. .................. .................. 440-950 1 440-950 0.72 308-693
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Dated: September 30, 2015.
Telora T. Dean,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-25444 Filed 10-6-15; 8:45 am]
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