[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 208 (Monday, November 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60198-60200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23655]


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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 January 3, 2022 to be 
assured of consideration.

[[Page 60199]]


ADDRESSES: All comments should be submitted electronically to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to this 
information collection, contact Jeffrey Gonzalez, 202-694-5341, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Agriculture's Economic 
Research Service, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), 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 
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. The Field Test will collect data from 4,125 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 the FoodAPS-2 Field Test will be about 10 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; 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 monetary incentives to encourage Food 
Log reporting throughout the 7-day period.
    All sampled households will receive a $5 incentive to complete a 
mail screener questionnaire. All households completing an in-person 
screening interview to determine eligibility for the study will receive 
$5. All recruited households will receive $40 upon completion of the 
Initial Interview and Food Log training. $2 will be provided to each 
household member age 16 and over who completes the Income Worksheet 
(available online and via the app) and another $2 per person age 11 and 
over 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, an incentives experiment is embedded in the Field 
Test. The incentives experiment varies the amount of a promised 
monetary incentive that each eligible household member who reports both 
their food purchases and the food they get for free (including 
affirmation of no food) can accumulate per day ($5 per day per eligible 
member vs. $5 for days 1-3 and $10 for days 4-7). 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

[[Page 60200]]

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 4,125 contacted households and 4,650 responding 
individuals. The estimated total annual burden on respondents is 3,201 
hours.
BILLING CODE 3410-18-P
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN01NO21.000


Spiro Stefanou,
Administrator, Economic Research Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-23655 Filed 10-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-18-C