[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 15, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47256-47257]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-22121]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0487]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office 
of Management and Budget 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 a 
proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Fax written comments on the collection of information by October 
15, 2009.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that comments on the information collection are 
received, OMB recommends that written comments be faxed to the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attn: FDA Desk Officer, 
FAX: 202-395-6974, or e-mailed to [email protected]. All 
comments should be identified with the OMB control number 0910-0345. 
Also include the FDA docket number found in brackets in the heading of 
this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Jonna Capezzuto, Office of 
Information Management (HFA-710), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-796-3794, 
[email protected].

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--Reinstatement)

    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. The Food Safety 
Survey is a nationally representative survey of consumers' knowledge, 
attitudes, and beliefs about food safety. Previous versions of the 
survey were collected in 1988, 1993, 1998, 2001, and 2006. Data from 
the previous surveys are being used to evaluate two Healthy People 2010 
objectives: (1) Increase the proportion of consumers who follow key 
food safety practices (Objective 10-5), and (2) reduce severe allergic 
reactions to food among adults (Objective 10-4b). Additionally, data 
are used to measure trends in consumer food safety habits including 
hand and cutting board washing, cooking practices, and use of food 
thermometers. Finally, data are used to evaluate educational messages 
and to inform policymakers about consumer attitudes about novel 
technologies such as food irradiation and biotechnology.
    Since 2006, there have been several high profile recalls of FDA-
regulated food due to contamination. Information about food recalls 
does not always reach the intended audience (Refs. 1, 2, and 3). The 
Food Safety Survey planned for 2009 will look specifically at reasons 
why consumers do not always heed food recall alerts. A new food recall 
module will be added that contains new questions to learn about how 
recent food recalls have affected consumer confidence in the food 
supply and what effect, if any, they have on consumers' home food 
safety behaviors. This information will help FDA develop strategies to 
more effectively communicate food recall information to the public.
    The methods for the 2009 version of the Food Safety Survey will be 
the same as for the previous Food Safety Surveys. A nationally 
representative sample of 4,000 adults in households with telephones 
will be selected at random and interviewed by telephone. This survey 
will include an oversample of Hispanics with a minimum of 500 Hispanics 
sampled. Additionally, 200 initial nonrespondents will be asked to 
participate in a short version of the survey to conduct a nonresponse 
analysis. Participation will be voluntary. Cognitive interviews and a 
pretest will be conducted prior to fielding the survey.
    In the Federal Register of September 17, 2008 (73 FR 53878), FDA 
published a 60-day notice requesting public comment on the proposed 
collection of information. The agency received one comment that was not 
responsive to the comment request on the information collection 
provisions.
    FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as 
follows:
    The total estimated burden imposed by this collection of 
information is 1,541 hours (table 1 of this document).

                                                     Table 1.--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden\1\
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                                                               No. of         Annual Frequency       Total Annual        Hours per
                        Activity                            Respondents         per Response          Responses          Response         Total Hours
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Cognitive Interview                                                     20                     1                 20            1                      20
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Pretest                                                                 27                     1                 27            0.5                    14
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Screener                                                            10,000                     1             10,000             .0167                167
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Survey                                                               4,000                     1              4,000             .33                1,320
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Nonresponse                                                            200                     1                200             .10                   20
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Total                                                                                                                                              1,541
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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.

    Prior to finalizing the survey, FDA will conduct 20 cognitive 
interviews each requiring an average of 1 hour per respondent for a 
total of 20 hours. Before the survey is fielded, a small pretest of 27 
individuals, each lasting half an hour (0.5 hour), will be conducted. 
The survey screener is estimated to take 1 minute or less per

[[Page 47257]]

response for a total screener burden of 4,000 (respondents) + 6,000 
(ineligibles screened) x .0167 hours = 167 hours. The survey will 
require an average of 20 minutes (0.33 hours) per respondent and we 
expect that the variation in burden across respondents will be small. 
This estimate is based on average interview time for the 2006 Food 
Safety Survey. The proposed number of respondents is 4,000, each of 
whom will be asked to complete a one-time telephone interview that 
requires no preparation time. Additionally, 200 initial nonrespondents 
will be asked to participate in a short version of the survey to 
conduct a nonresponse analysis. This is expected to take 6 minutes 
(0.10 hours). Therefore, the total estimated public reporting burden is 
1,541 hours.
    We have revised the burden table. In the 60-day notice published on 
September 17, 2008, we estimated the total burden to be 1,421 hours. 
The total burden of 1,541 hours estimated in table 1 of this document 
includes an additional 120 hours, which resulted from correcting a 
typographical error in line 4 of the table. The hours per response in 
line 4 of table 1 changed from 0.3 to 0.33.

    Dated: September 1, 2009.
David Horowitz,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. E9-22121 Filed 9-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S