[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 192 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61325-61329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24142]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, 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 collection is a new collection for the School Nutrition and Meal
Cost Study.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received on or before
December 2, 2013.
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: John Endahl, Senior Program Analyst,
Office of Policy Support, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1004, Alexandria, VA
22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of John
Endahl 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 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 John Endahl
at 703-305-2127.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study.
Form Number: N/A.
OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: The School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS) comes at
a time of unprecedented change for the National School Lunch Program
(NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). In the 2012-2013 school year
(SY), the school meal programs began to undergo far-reaching changes,
mainly stemming from the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA). Key
reforms enacted by this legislation include new, more stringent meal
pattern and nutrient requirements for school meals, new offer-versus-
serve (OVS) rules, gradually increased prices for paid meals, and
introduction of nutrition standards for competitive foods. School food
service practices are being revised dramatically. Changes in practices,
prices, and available foods may influence which students participate in
the programs. The new requirements are intended to better align USDA
meals and snacks with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and to
improve participating students' food and nutrient intake. Complying
with the new requirements might affect the costs of producing school
lunches and breakfasts. Conducting the SNMCS at this historic juncture
will provide FNS with crucial information about the effects of the new
meal standards on nutritional quality and the cost of school meals. No
national study has concurrently examined the cost of producing school
meals, the nutritional profile of school meals and the amount of plate
waste in school meals.
The SNMCS will collect a broad range of data from nationally
representative samples of public school food authorities (SFAs),
schools, students, and parents during SY 2014-2015. These data will
provide Federal, State, and local policymakers with needed information
about how federally sponsored school meal programs are operating after
implementation of the new nutrition standards and other changes in
regulations. Comparisons of results from the SNMCS with previous
studies (the School Nutrition and Dietary Assessment [SNDA] and the
School Lunch and Breakfast Cost [SLBC] studies) will provide
information to assess the effects of the new nutrition standards on
foodservice operations, the nutrient content of school meals as offered
and served, meal costs and revenues, and student consumption of school
meals and dietary intake. The SNMCS will be the first assessment of
school meals after implementation of these major changes.
The SNMCS sample will include 502 unique SFAs, 1,200 schools, 2,400
students and their parents, and observations of plate waste from 5,040
lunches and 3,360 breakfasts. The sample is designed to provide
required levels of statistical precision and data quality while
minimizing data collection costs and respondent burden. The SNMCS
sample will be divided into three groups of SFAs, with various levels
of data collected from each group. The data collection includes the
administration of several different types of instruments and modes,
including self-administered web-based SFA director and school principal
surveys, a
[[Page 61326]]
food service manager survey, an electronic menu survey, competitive
foods checklists, cafeteria environment observation, plate waste
observation, Automated Multiple Pass Method 24-hour dietary recalls,
measurement of student's height and weight, student/parent surveys,
meal cost interviews, and collection of administrative cost data.
Affected Public: Respondent groups include: (1) Directors of school
food authorities (SFAs); (2) State child nutrition officials; (3) local
education agency business managers, (4) school foodservice managers
(FSMs); (5) principals; (6) school staff appointed by principals to
complete observation checklists (school liaisons); and (7) students and
their parents.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The proposed final samples will
include 502 unique SFAs; 1,200 schools; 2,400 students and their
parents; and 5,040 and 3,360 plate waste observations at lunch and
breakfast, respectively. Group 1 includes 106 SFAs but no schools.
These SFAs will participate in the SFA Director Survey to provide the
precision required for estimates of SFA characteristics and policies.
Group 2 comprises 100 SFAs and 300 schools. The Group 2 sample will
include the 4 largest SFAs and 12 schools sampled from them plus a
sample of 96 other SFAs and 288 of their schools (3 per SFA). Group 2
SFAs and schools will participate in the SFA Director Survey, FSM
Survey, and Principal Survey; in addition, their FSMs will complete the
Basic Menu Survey. Interviews will be completed with 2,400 students and
their parents from these schools to provide information on meal program
participation, satisfaction, and students' dietary intake from school
meals and food outside school over 24 hours. Group 3 includes 300 SFAs
and 900 schools (3 per SFA). The Group 3 sample will include the 4
largest SFAs and 12 of their schools, plus a sample of 296 other SFAs
and 888 of their schools (3 per SFA). This group includes participants
in the SFA Director Survey, Pre-Visit SFA Director Questionnaire and
Forms, SFA Director and Business Manager Cost Interviews and follow-up
interviews, interviews to collect administrative data on food prices,
FSM Survey, and Principal Survey. The additional cost interviews from
this group will provide data for the meal cost estimates, along with
completing the Expanded Menu Survey. Plate waste will be observed at a
subsample of Group 3 schools; we will observe 5,040 NSLP lunches and
3,360 SBP breakfasts from 56 SFAs and 168 schools. In both the Group 2
and 3 schools, school liaisons will complete two checklists to provide
information on competitive foods, and interviewers will complete a
Cafeteria Observation Form.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: All respondents will
be asked to respond to each instrument only once.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 24,031.
Estimated Time per Response: 55 minutes (0.91 hours). The estimated
response varies from 15 minutes to 600 minutes (10 hours), depending on
the survey and the respondent group, as shown in the following table.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 21,912. See the table
below for each type of respondent.
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Total annual
Data collection Estimated Frequency of Total annual Average burden
Affected public activity Respondents number of response responses burden hours estimate
respondents per response (hours)
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State........................... Telephone Survey Non-respondents... 3 1 3 0.07 0.2
(Administrative
Data on Indirect
Cost Rates).
State education 47 1 47 0.33 16
agency financial
officer (Group 3).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 15 1 15 0.07 1
Web Survey (Basic
Menu Survey).
Foodservice 300 1 300 8 2,400
managers (Group
2).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 49 1 49 0.07 3
Web Survey
(Expanded Menu
Survey).
Foodservice 975 1 975 10 9,750
managers (Group
3).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 41 1 41 0.07 3
Web Survey (SFA
Director Survey).
SFA directors 366 1 366 0.67 245
(Groups 1, 2, 3).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 64 1 64 0.07 5
Web Survey (FSM
Survey).
Foodservice 1,200 1 1,200 0.33 396
managers (Groups
2, 3).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 127 1 127 0.07 9
Web Survey
(Principal
Survey).
Principals (Groups 1,137 1 1,137 0.5 569
2 and 3).
[[Page 61327]]
Local and Tribal................ Telephone Survey Non-respondents... 2 1 2 0.07 0.1
(SFA Director
Planning
Interview).
SFA directors 73 1 73 0.33 24
(Group 2).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 7 1 7 0.07 0.5
Web Survey (SFA
Director Pre-
visit
Questionnaire and
Forms).
SFA directors 219 1 219 0.83 182
(Group 3).
Local and Tribal................ In-person Non-respondents... 11 1 11 0.07 0.8
Interview (SFA
Director and
Business Manager
Cost Interview).
SFA Directors/LEA 219 1 219 3 657
business managers
(Group 3).
Local and Tribal................ Telephone Survey Non-respondents... 45 1 45 0.07 3
(FSM Pre-visit
Questionnaire).
Foodservice 900 1 900 0.25 225
managers (Group
3).
Local and Tribal................ In-person Non-respondents... 49 1 49 0.07 3
Interview (FSM
Cost Interview).
Foodservice 975 1 975 0.5 488
managers (Group
3).
Local and Tribal................ Telephone Survey Non-respondents... 45 1 45 0.07 3
(Principal Cost
Interview).
Principals (Group 900 1 900 0.75 675
3).
Local and Tribal................ In-person Non-respondents... 11 1 11 0.07 0.8
Interview (Follow-
Up SFA Director
Prep Forms).
SFA directors/LEA 208 1 208 0.17 35
business managers
(Group 3).
Local and Tribal................ In-person Non-respondents... 11 1 11 0.07 0.8
Interview (Follow-
Up SFA Director
and Business
Manager Cost
Interview).
SFA directors/LEA 208 1 208 2 416
business managers
(Group 3).
Local and Tribal................ In-person Non-respondents... 190 1 190 0.07 13
Interview
(Competitive
Foods Checklist).
School staff 760 1 760 0.5 380
liaisons (Groups
2 and 3).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Foodservice 300 1 300 0.17 51
Observation Form managers (Group
(Point-of-Sale 2).
Form).
Local and Tribal................ Self-Administered Foodservice 168 1 168 0.17 29
Observation Form managers (Group
(Plate Waste 3).
Observations).
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Subtotal State, Local & .................. .................. 9,625 1 9,625 1.72 16,583
Tribal Governments.
Private Sector for-Profit....... Self-Administered Non-respondents... 15 1 15 0.07 1
Web Survey (SFA
Director Survey).
[[Page 61328]]
SFA directors 136 1 136 0.67 91
(Groups 1, 2, 3).
Private Sector for-Profit....... Telephone Survey Non-respondents... 1 1 1 0.07 0.1
(SFA Director
Planning
Interview).
SFA directors 27 1 27 0.33 9
(Group 2).
Private Sector or-Profit........ Self-Administered Non-respondents... 2 1 2 0.07 0.1
Web Survey (SFA
Director Pre-
visit
Questionnaire).
SFA directors 81 1 81 0.83 67
(Group 3).
Private Sector for-Profit....... In-person Non-respondents... 4 1 4 0.07 0.3
Interview (SFA
Director and
Business Manager
Cost Interview).
SFA directors/LEA 81 1 81 3 243
business managers
(Group 3).
Private Sector for-Profit....... In-person Non-respondents... 4 1 4 0.07 0.3
Interview (Follow
Up SFA Director
Prep Forms).
SFA directors/LEA 77 1 77 0.17 13
business managers
(Group 3).
Private Sector for-Profit....... In-person Non-respondents... 4 1 4 0.07 0.3
Interview (Follow-
Up SFA Director
and Business
Manager Cost
Interview).
SFA directors/LEA 77 1 77 2 154
business managers
(Group 3).
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Subtotal Private Sector for- .................. .................. 509 1 509 1.13 579.1
Profit Business.
Individual...................... In-person Non-respondents... 359 1 359 0.07 25
Interview (24-
Hour Dietary
Recall, Day 1).
Students.......... 2,400 1 2,400 0.83 1992
Parents........... 800 1 800 0.50 400
Individual...................... Telephone Survey Non-respondents... 106 1 106 0.07 7
(24-Hour Dietary
Recall, Day 2).
Students.......... 600 1 600 0.75 450
Parents........... 200 1 200 0.75 150
Individual...................... Self-Administered Non-respondents... 120 1 120 0.07 8
Form (Food Diary,
Day 1).
Parents........... 800 1 800 0.17 136
Individual...................... Self-Administered Non-respondents... 35 1 35 0.07 3
Form (Food Diary,
Day 2).
Parents........... 200 1 200 0.17 34
Individual...................... In-person Non-respondents... 359 1 359 0.07 25
Interview (Child/
Youth Interview).
Students.......... 2,400 1 2,400 0.17 408
Individual...................... In-person or Non-respondents... 359 1 359 0.07 25
Telephone
Interview (Parent
Interview).
Parents........... 2,400 1 2,400 0.42 1008
Individual...................... In-person Non-respondents... 359 1 359 0.02 7
Interview (Height
and Weight
Measurement Form).
[[Page 61329]]
Students.......... 2,400 1 2,400 0.03 72
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Subtotal Individuals........ .................. .................. 13,897 1 13,897 0.34 4,750
Grand Total................. .................. .................. 24,031 1 24,031 .............. 21,912
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Dated: September 26, 2013.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-24142 Filed 10-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P