[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 161 (Friday, August 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50541-50543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21007]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. 00N-1246]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Food Safety Survey

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that the 
proposed collection of information listed below has been submitted to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Submit written comments on the collection of information by 
September 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information to 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, New Executive 
Office Bldg., 725 17th St. NW., rm. 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attn: 
Wendy Taylor, Desk Officer for FDA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peggy Schlosburg, Office of 
Information Resources Management (HFA-250), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-827-1223.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, FDA has 
submitted the following proposed collection of information to OMB for 
review and clearance.

Food Safety Survey (OMB Control Number 0910-0345)--Extension

    Under section 903(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(21 U.S.C. 393(b)(2)), FDA is authorized to conduct research relating 
to foods and to conduct educational and public information programs 
relating to the safety of the nation's food supply. FDA is planning to 
conduct a consumer survey about food safety under this authority. The 
food safety survey will provide information about consumers' food 
safety awareness, knowledge, concerns, and practices. A nationally 
representative sample of 2,000 adults in households with telephones and 
cooking facilities will be selected at random and interviewed by 
telephone. Participation will be voluntary. Detailed information will 
be obtained about risk perception, perceived sources of food 
contamination, knowledge of particular microorganisms, safe care label 
use, food handling practices, consumption of raw foods from animals, 
information sources, and perceived foodborne illness and food allergy 
experience.
    Most of the questions to be asked are identical to ones asked in 
the 1998 Food Safety Survey. Because of recent national consumer 
education campaigns about food safety and the large amount of media 
attention to food safety issues

[[Page 50542]]

in the past few years, consumer attitudes, knowledge, and practices are 
likely to have changed greatly since the 1998 survey. FDA needs current 
information to support consumer education programs and regulatory 
development. In addition, FDA needs information from the consumer 
perspective on several new areas related to food safety. New areas 
include attitudes toward: Genetically modified foods, irradiated foods, 
and organically grown foods; handling of leftovers and foods associated 
with listeria monocytogenes contamination; washing practices for fresh 
fruits and vegetables; reaction to warning statements on unpasteurized 
juice and to handling statements on eggs; disability status; and 
perceived food allergy.
    In the Federal Register of May 2, 2000 (65 FR 25491), the agency 
requested comments on the proposed collection of information. Four 
comments were received. All comments responded to the third statement 
on which FDA invited comments: Ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected.
    Two comments were related to the questions about irradiation of 
food, one from a consumer group, and the other from industry. One 
comment does not want the survey to imply that all irradiated food is 
required to be labeled. It states that FDA misleads consumers when it 
states or implies that irradiated foods are labeled, because irradiated 
foods intended for further processing or cooking are not labeled at the 
consumer level, and herbs, spices, and some seasonings are never 
labeled.
    The second comment urges FDA to include additional questions to 
probe consumer attitudes on irradiation and the irradiation label, 
given the changes in this arena in the past few years. One example 
provided is approval and marketing of irradiated meat, and the positive 
media coverage of this process. It provides a specific question from 
the literature and points out that if we ask the same question, we 
would have a comparison over time. The question would follow the 
current question measuring perceived safety of irradiated foods. That 
specific question is this: ``Irradiation has been approved as safe by 
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. How does this affect your 
opinion?'' (Answers: less concerned, same opinion, or more concerned.)
    Both comments were concerned about the placement of the irradiation 
questions, immediately after a section on food safety problems and in a 
section of perceived sources of contamination. One states that such 
placement might lead consumers to think that FDA has doubts of the 
safety of irradiation. It recommends placing the irradiation questions 
in the section on cooking and other methods to control foodborne 
pathogens. Both comments asked that FDA publish or provide them with a 
final copy of the survey.
    The agency is not persuaded that the comment about labeling of 
irradiated food is germane to the survey because none of the questions 
on the survey mention labeling of irradiated foods; the labeling aspect 
of the irradiation issue is beyond the scope of the survey.
    The agency is not persuaded that the specifically recommended 
question is appropriate in the context of the current survey; such 
detailed attitude questions are beyond the scope of the data collection 
objectives. However, the comment requesting that additional questions 
be asked about irradiated foods raises the issue of whether FDA will 
obtain sufficient information from the current questions. Analysis of 
the current question will provide certain detailed information. For 
example, the distribution of characteristics and of information sources 
of those who have given beliefs about irradiated foods can be compared 
with the distributions of those with more or less food safety 
knowledge, as measured in other sections. The agency is exploring 
whether its information needs require further questions about 
consumers' prior knowledge and assumptions. Any additional questions 
will be determined in time to incorporate them into the final 
questionnaire, along with any other changes required by comments to 
this notice.
    The agency agrees that the irradiated questions are better asked in 
a different section; they will be moved to follow Section K of the 
questionnaire entitled ``Information Sources''. The agency will provide 
a copy of the final survey to all interested parties who so request.
    Another comment urges FDA to use the survey to address the issue of 
consumer misinformation regarding organic foods. The comment is 
concerned that Americans are misled by organic labels, and in 
particular will be misled by the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) organic seal, to believe that organic foods are 
safer, more nutritious, or otherwise better in some way than 
conventional foods.
    Testing of any specific label statements is outside the scope of 
the survey, and gathering specific information about the USDA seal for 
organic foods is inappropriate at this time, before the seal has been 
finalized. However, like the request for more information about 
consumer understanding of irradiated foods, this comment raises the 
issue of whether the agency will obtain sufficient information about 
consumers' knowledge and assumptions related to organic foods, and the 
agency has a similar response. FDA plans to perform analysis of the 
organic foods questions that will provide detailed information about 
certain aspects of consumer knowledge and information sources. In light 
of the comment, the agency is exploring whether its information needs 
require further questions about consumers' prior knowledge and 
assumptions, and any additional questions will be incorporated into the 
final questionnaire along with any other changes required by comments 
to the 30-day notice.
    One comment is concerned about the list of foods that form the 
response to several questions, including the questions that ask what 
kinds of food the respondent thought were related to contamination by 
particular micro-organisms, and, in the 1998 survey, to the question on 
foods the respondent thinks of as high risk for food poisoning. The 
concern is that the inclusion of ``mayonnaise or salads made with 
mayonnaise'' will perpetuate the ``mayo myth'' that mayonnaise is a 
high risk food. The comment approves of the question about eating raw 
eggs that clearly distinguishes homemade mayonnaise from commercial 
mayonnaise.
    FDA is very much aware that commercial mayonnaise is not a high 
food safety risk, and it is not treated as such in the survey. The 
comment mistakenly assumed that the precoded list of foods that follows 
several questions is read to the respondent, when it is not read. The 
list is seen only by the interviewers, who need it in order to code the 
response. ``Mayonnaise or salads made with mayonnaise'' is included as 
a possible response because some consumers maintain the view that this 
type of food is high risk. Over time, FDA will be able to track whether 
this myth is diminishing. Meanwhile, commercial mayonnaise will not be 
maligned in the survey. It is important to keep the item in the list so 
that consumer beliefs about commercial mayonnaise can be measured. As 
the comment notes, when mayonnaise is mentioned to respondents (as in 
the eating raw egg question), a distinction is made between homemade 
and commercial mayonnaise.
    FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as 
follows:

[[Page 50543]]



                                 Table 1.--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden\1\
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                                                      Annual
               No. of Respondents                  Frequency per   Total Annual      Hours per      Total Hours
                                                     Response        Responses       Response
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2,000                                                   1           2,000                .5        1,000
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of
  information.

    The burden estimate is based on FDA's experience with the 1998 
survey mentioned in the previous paragraph.

    Dated: August 11, 2000.
William K. Hubbard,
Senior Associate Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Legislation.
[FR Doc. 00-21007 Filed 8-17-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-F