[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26339-26340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09529]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Produce Safety 
University Nomination and Course Evaluation

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new 
collection for notification of Produce Safety University annual 
training to State agencies and nomination of participants to attend 
Produce Safety University.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Emma Kingsbury, Food and Nutrition 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 
Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the 
attention of Emma Kingsbury at 703-305-2955 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 Emma 
Kingsbury at 703-305-2955.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 
that were 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.
    Title: Produce Safety University Nomination and Course Evaluation.
    Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: To be determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: Produce Safety University (PSU) is a training course 
designed to help child nutrition professionals identify and manage food 
safety risks associated with fresh produce. The PSU course is designed 
to be a train-the-trainer immersion course, where participants are 
expected to conduct further training with their peers using the 
information they obtain during PSU. The PSU curriculum covers all 
aspects of the fresh produce procurement chain, from growing and 
harvesting to storage and preparation through a combination of lecture, 
laboratory, and field-trip instruction. PSU was not held in 2020 due to 
the COVID-19 pandemic; during 2021 PSU transitioned to a virtual 
course, which included pre-recorded field-trip and laboratory 
components that participants were able to view these aspects virtually, 
while maintaining the full experience of PSU. Looking forward, PSU will 
likely continue through a hybrid approach, with both in-person sessions 
and virtual sessions offered annually.
    The purpose of the proposed collection of information is twofold. 
The first is to electronically collect course nomination from child 
nutrition professionals and State agency staff to attend Produce Safety 
University (PSU). State agencies may nominate individuals to attend PSU 
and receive annual logistic information through a letter from FNS. The 
letter to States includes a link to the online course nomination. While 
nomination is voluntary, if a participant wishes to attend Produce 
Safety University, completion of the course nomination is mandatory. To 
ensure that PSU provides the most appropriate training content that is 
tailored to the audience, it is necessary to know the occupational 
make-up of each training co-hort. Therefore, job titles and the name of 
the organization nominees represent will be collected. Collecting this 
information on the course nomination will ensure that the Office of 
Food Safety offers this training opportunity equally among each of the 
States and seven FNS Regions. Additional contact information is needed 
from participants to support their learning experience; when PSU 
training sessions are held virtually, physical course materials are 
shipped to each participant. These materials include slides, 
activities, and supplemental print resources, making address collection 
necessary.
    The second aspect of the proposed collection of information 
involves program evaluation. The program evaluation involves three 
instruments, each designed to collect specific information from 
respondents at specific times. The Welcome Questions are given to 
confirmed PSU participants to assess where the training cohort lies in 
terms of knowledge and experience, which allows for the training team 
to make minor changes based on the foundational knowledge a group may 
have. The Course Evaluation involves questions following each session 
of PSU to assess if the session achieved its objective, and whether or 
not the time allotted was sufficient. The Course Evaluation also 
addresses how effective the training team and resources were in helping 
PSU participants grasp all information taught in the course. This 
information is crucial to ensure PSU is satisfying participants' 
expectations and supporting Child Nutrition program operators with 
accurate and helpful information. The Program Impact Evaluation is used 
to measure how the PSU courses have impacted participants six months 
after their completion of PSU. Since PSU is designed to be a train-the-
trainer course, determining if graduates taught others on topics 
learned in PSU is essential to further the mission of the course. The 
Program Impact Evaluation is also used to inform resource development 
to support graduates in their efforts to train others on topics learned 
in PSU.
    The Nomination Form for Produce Safety University (FNS-909) is 
currently approved under OMB# 0584-0611 FNS Fast Track Clearance for 
the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback, which expires on September 
30, 2022. This fast track clearance is meant for one-time collections 
of customer feedback on a variety of programs. Since the original 
submission, FNS has decided that this will be an ongoing collection, so 
we are now seeking approval for this under a new OMB control number. 
FNS has also made changes to the collection since the original 
submission. Under OMB# 0584-0611, this collection has two instruments, 
the FNS-909 and a sample State Agency Letter, with a total of 218 
responses and 55 burden hours. FNS

[[Page 26340]]

has made a number of changes as part of this new collection. These 
changes include the following: The FNS-909 is no longer the most 
appropriate instrument to collect the information from participants, 
and the new collection will not use the FNS-909. The proposed 
collection includes new questions outside of the FNS-909 scope. The new 
questions are necessary to determine nominee eligibility for training 
participation. We have also updated the course nomination from a paper 
to online format.
    Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal governments. Respondent 
groups identified include: (1) Child Nutrition program operators and 
(2) State agency staff.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The annual number of respondents 
is two-fold since those completing the course evaluations are a subset 
of those who completed the nomination form. The number of respondents 
to the State agency letter and nomination form is 285. This includes: 
155 child nutrition professionals and 130 State agency staff. 
Approximately half of the State agency staff read the letter but 
complete no further components of the collection. The course 
evaluations (welcome questions, course evaluations, and program impact 
evaluations) will be completed by a subset of respondents to the course 
nomination who were selected for participation in PSU. The total number 
of unique respondents for this collection is 285.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent will 
be asked to complete the nomination information one time. Respondents 
are asked to complete all three program evaluation instruments, 
however, since participation is voluntary, few participants choose to 
respond to all three program evaluation components. Because of this, 
FNS estimates that the frequency for the requirements in this 
collection will mainly be 1, although it may range anywhere from 1 to 
4, depending on how many of the optional evaluation instruments the 
respondent decides to complete. Overall, FNS estimates that the number 
of responses per respondents across the entire collection is 2.256.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 643 total annual responses. 
Following the course nomination, respondents may choose to voluntarily 
respond to other instruments (Welcome Questions, Course Evaluation, and 
Program Impact Evaluation). Therefore, the total number of responses 
across all instruments does not equal the number of unique respondents 
(see estimated annual burden table below for response breakdown).
    Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time of response is 5 
minutes (0.083 hours) for the State agency letter, 15 minutes (0.25 
hours) for the course nomination, 10 minutes (0.167 hours) for Welcome 
Questions, 15 minutes for Course Evaluation, and 20 minutes (0.334 
hours) for Program Impact Evaluation as shown in the table below. This 
is an annual average time of approximately 13 minutes (0.214 hours) per 
respondent across all of the items in the collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 138 hours. See the 
table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent.

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                                                                                  Estimated avg.
                                     Estimated       Responses     Total annual      number of       Estimated
           Respondent                 number       annually per      responses       hours per      total hours
                                    respondent      respondent      (Col. bxc)       response       (Col. dxe)
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                                                Reporting Burden
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CN program operators--Course                 155            1.00             155            0.25            38.8
 Nomination.....................
CN program operators--Welcome                 69            1.00              69           0.167            11.5
 Questions *....................
CN program operators--Course                  98            1.00              98            0.25            24.5
 Evaluation *...................
CN program operators--Program                 57            1.00              57           0.334            19.0
 Impact Evaluation *............
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal for Child Nutrition             155      2.44516129             379     0.247522427            93.8
     Program Operators..........
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State agency--Stage Agency                   130            1.00             130          0.0835            10.8
 Letter.........................
State agency--Course Nomination               65            1.00              65            0.25            16.3
 **.............................
State agency--Welcome Questions               21            1.00              21           0.167             3.5
 **.............................
State agency--Course Evaluation               31            1.00              31            0.25             7.8
 **.............................
Stage agency--Program Impact                  17            1.00              17           0.334             5.7
 Evaluation **..................
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal for State Agency                130     2.030769231             264     0.166609848            44.0
     Staff......................
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        Total for State, Local,              285     2.256140351             643     0.214301711           137.8
         or Tribal Government...
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            Total Reporting                  285           2.256             643           0.214             138
             Burden.............
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* Indicates that the respondents are a subset of those responding to the course nomination and are not unique
  responses. There are 155 unique CN program operator respondents.
** Indicates that the respondents are a subset of those receiving the State Agency Letter and are not unique
  responses. There are 130 unique State agency respondents.


Cynthia Long,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-09529 Filed 5-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P