[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33735-33737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14937]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Economic Research Service


Notice of Intent To Request New Information Collection

AGENCY: Economic Research Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) intention 
to request approval for a Field Test for a new information collection 
for a Second National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey 
(FoodAPS-2) also called the National Food Study among American 
households.

DATES: Written comments must be received by September 13, 2019 to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Linda Kantor, Food Economics Division, Economic 
Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW, Mailstop 1800, Washington, DC 20250.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Linda Kantor, Economic Research 
Service, 355 E Street SW, Washington DC 20024-3221.
    All comments received will be available for public inspection 
during regular business hours at the offices of USDA's Economic 
Research Service, 355 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-3221. All 
responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request 
for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. 
Please note that comments submitted after the comment period will not 
be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to this 
information collection, contact Linda Kantor, 202-694-5392, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Agriculture's Economic 
Research Service, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, provides the general public and Federal agencies with an 
opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections 
of information. This helps the Economic Research Service (ERS) assess 
the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the 
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the 
ERS's information collection requirements and provide the required data 
in the desired format. ERS is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection requirement (ICR) that is described below. 
Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) 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; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology. Please note that written comments received 
in response to this notice will be considered public records.
    Title of Collection: The Second National Household Food Acquisition

[[Page 33736]]

and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS-2) Field Test.
    OMB Control Number: To be assigned by OMB.
    Expiration Date: Three years from the date of approval.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: The Field Test for FoodAPS-2, also known as the National 
Food Study to respondents in the field, will be conducted over a four-
month period from January 2021 to April 2021. The Field Test will 
collect data from up to 4,000 households, including households 
participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, 
formerly the Food Stamp Program) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition 
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Each participating 
household will be asked to log the foods they get over a 7-day period.
    FoodAPS-2 data are necessary to understand Americans' food and 
nutrition choices, the drivers of these choices, and how the government 
can improve administration of public programs at reasonable cost to 
better the health and well-being of the American population. The data 
will reveal precise and detailed information on: (1) Food purchased for 
preparation at home and away from home; (2) food people get for free; 
(3) food that each member of the household gets; (4) the nutrient 
content of food items people get; (5) the cost of these foods and how 
people pay for them (e.g., cash, credit or debit, program benefits, 
coupons and discounts); (6) market, demographic, policy and program 
characteristics of local areas where people get their food; (7) 
household characteristics, including income, participation in Federal 
food assistance programs, food security, and health status; and (8) the 
complex interrelationship between food, nutrition, economics, program 
participation, food environments, and health.
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) collected similar data in 
2012-2013 with the first National Household Food Acquisition and 
Purchase Survey (FoodAPS-1, OMB Control Number 0536-0068). (See the 
results at https://www.ers.usda.gov/foodaps). The expected time between 
FoodAPS-1 and FoodAPS-2 will be about 11 years, during which time the 
structure of the U.S. food economy will have changed dramatically. 
American households get their food from a large variety of places, 
including: Grocery stores, big box stores, farmers' markets, food 
pantries, dine-in restaurants, fast food restaurants, schools, online 
retailers, and other food outlets. Food acquisition behaviors have 
changed in response to changing markets, household structure, labor 
force participation, and other factors. There is special interest in 
food demand among low-income households. At some point during each 
year, about 1 in 4 Americans participate in at least one of USDA's 15 
domestic food and nutrition assistance programs. To evaluate the 
efficiency of the programs, USDA needs to better understand the food 
acquisition behavior of program participants compared to low-income, 
program-eligible, non-participating households. Neighborhoods that lack 
access to healthy and affordable food have been of particular concern 
for USDA. To this end, USDA needs current, accurate data on household 
food acquisitions, food insecurity, food prices, and the availability 
of healthful and less-healthful foods.
    The main objective of the Field Test is to test the final design 
and procedures for the Full Survey data collection. Specifically, the 
Field Test will evaluate the following: A mail screener to reduce in-
person screening; enhancements to the data collection instruments that 
assess drivers of food acquisition behavior; a new native smartphone 
application (to reduce respondent burden); an alternative web-based 
Food Log using a barcode scanner, for households who are unable to use 
the smartphone app; a telephone mode option for households who are 
unable to use either the smartphone app or the web-based method; and 
targeted telephone follow-up calls to encourage Food Log reporting 
throughout the 7-day period.
    All recruited households will receive $40 upon completion of the 
Initial Interview and Food Log training. Similarly, all households will 
accumulate a $5 per day credit for each eligible household member who 
reports both their food purchases and the food they get for free 
(including affirmation of no food acquisitions). $2 will be provided to 
each household member who completes the Income Worksheet (available 
online) and another $2 per person for completing the Profile 
Questionnaire (available online and via the app). An additional $16 
incentive will be provided to the primary respondent after completion 
of a Debriefing Interview at the end of the reporting period.
    In addition, two incentive experiments are embedded in the Field 
Test. The first incentive experiment varies the amount of a prepaid 
incentive included in the mail screener ($2 vs. none). The second 
experiment varies the amount of a promised incentive upon completing 
the in-person screener ($5 vs. none). The final incentive scheme for 
the Full Survey will be determined by the results of Field Test.
    Responses will be combined for statistical purposes and reported 
only in aggregate or statistical form. Because this is a field test for 
the full-scale FoodAPS-2 data collection, there are no plans to make 
the collected data available to the public. The data will be analyzed 
and used to finalize design and data collection protocol for the Full 
Survey.
    Authority: Legislative authority for the planned data collection is 
Section 17 (a) (1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2026). This section authorizes the Secretary to undertake research that 
will help improve the administration and effectiveness of programs 
providing nutrition benefits.
    Confidentiality: All respondent information collected during the 
Field Test will be protected under the statute of the Confidential 
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), 
(Title V of Pub. L. 107-347).
    Type of Respondents: Individuals and households.
    Estimate of Burden: The estimated total number of respondents for 
this study is 4,000 contacted households and 4,650 responding 
individuals. The estimated total annual burden on respondents is 3,299 
hours.

                                                                    Reporting Burden
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                                                                        Responses                           Non-response/not eligible
                                   Sample             ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Total
           Instrument               size       Freq                 Freq x     Min./      Burden                Freq x     Min./      Burden     burden
                                                         Count      count      resp.     hours *     Count      count      resp.     hours *    hours *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Household-Level Data
 Collection:
    First Mailing for Mail           4,000          1        600        600          6         60      3,400      3,400          2        113        173
     Screener..................

[[Page 33737]]

 
    Second Mailing for Mail          3,400          1        420        420          6         42      2,980      2,980          2         99        141
     Screener..................
    Third Mailing for Mail           2,980          1        180        180          6         18      2,800      2,800          2         93        111
     Screener..................
    Advance letters for In-          2,379          1      2,022      2,022          2         67        357        357          2         12         79
     person....................
    Household Screener.........      2,022          1        732        732          9        110      1,290      1,290          2         43        153
    Consent Form...............        732          1        659        659          5         55         73         73          2          2         57
    Initial Household Interview        659          1        467        467         30        234        192        192          3         10        244
    Debriefing Interviews......        732          1        586        586          6         59        146        146          2          5         64
                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total Responding         .........  .........  .........  .........  .........        645  .........  .........  .........        377       1022
         Burden--HH............
Individual-Level Data
 Collection Age 11-15:
    Training...................        103          1         98         98         45         74          5          5          3          0         74
    Assent Form................        103          1         98         98          1          1          5          5          1          0          1
    Food Log...................         98          7         83        581          7         68         15        105          3          5         73
    Meals and Snacks Form......         98          7         83        581          2         19         15        105          1          2         21
    Profile Questionnaire......         98          1         83         83          3          4         15         15          1          0          4
                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total Responding         .........  .........  .........  .........  .........        166  .........  .........  .........          7        173
         Burden--Ind...........
Age 16+:
    Training...................      1,014          1        963        963         45        722         51         51          3          3        725
    Consent Form...............      1,014          1        963        963          1         16         51         51          1          1         17
    Income Worksheet...........        963          1        819        819         15        205        144        144          3          7        212
    Food Log **................      1,201          7        819      5,733          7        669        382      2,674          3        134        803
    Meals and Snacks Form **...      1,201          7      1,021      7,147          2        238        180      1,260          1         21        259
    Profile Questionnaire **...      1,201          1      1,021      1,021          5         85        180        180          1          3         88
                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total Responding         .........  .........  .........  .........  .........      1,935  .........  .........  .........        169      2,104
         Burden--Ind...........
                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total Responding Burden  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........      2,746  .........  .........  .........        553      3,299
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Estimates of burden hours have been rounded.
** Includes estimates by proxy adults reporting for children aged 0-10.


    Dated: June 24, 2019.
Ephraim Leibtag,
Acting Administrator, Economic Research Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-14937 Filed 7-12-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-18-P