[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 246 (Friday, December 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78918-78920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27941]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Healthy Meals 
Incentives Recognition Awards Application for School Food Authorities

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 is a new collection for 
the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application. The 
Recognition Awards will recognize School Food Authorities (SFAs) that 
have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their 
school meals by exceeding the transitional school meal pattern 
requirements, engaging students, and implementing innovative practices. 
SFAs can apply to one or more Recognition Awards included in the 
Application form.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 10, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Kaylyn Padovani, Food and Nutrition 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4th Floor, Food and Nutrition 
Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone: 703-305-
2078. Comments may also be submitted via email to 
[email protected] with ``Comments to HMI Recognition Awards 
Application for SFAs'' in the subject line. 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 Kaylyn 
Padovani via email to [email protected], or 703-305-2078.

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: Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application for 
School Food Authorities.
    Form Number: Not yet assigned.
    OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School 
Breakfast Program (SBP) are Federally assisted meal programs operating 
in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care 
institutions. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the NSLP and SBP at the 
Federal level. These programs provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost, 
or no-cost meals to children each school day. School lunches and 
breakfasts provided through these programs (i.e., school meals) must 
meet Federal nutrition requirements, which are based upon the Dietary 
Guidelines for Americans.
    On December 29, 2020, USDA and the United States Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Dietary Guidelines for 
Americans, 2020-2025 (2020-2025 DGA). During this same time period, the 
Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency caused major disruptions 
to the NSLP and SBP and the food supply chain.
    In February 2022, USDA FNS published the Child Nutrition Programs: 
Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Final Rule 
(hereafter referred to as ``Transitional Standards''). This rule 
establishes transitional standards to support the continued provision 
of nutritious school meals as schools respond to and recover from the 
pandemic and while USDA engages in notice-and-comment rulemaking to 
update the meal pattern standards to more comprehensively reflect the 
2020-2025 DGA.
    At the State level, the NSLP and SBP are administered by State 
agencies, which operate these programs through agreements with School 
Food Authorities (SFAs). While USDA FNS establishes meal pattern 
requirements and weekly dietary specifications for school meals, 
decisions about the specific foods to serve and how the foods are 
prepared are made by SFAs.
    USDA FNS recently announced the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative 
Recognition Awards to support improvements in the nutritional quality 
of school meals through the generation and sharing of innovative ideas 
and tested practices being implemented at the local level. These 
efforts will also highlight the remarkable achievements SFAs are making 
in the offering of nutritious school meals that students enjoy. The 
recognition awards will spotlight innovative practices, student and 
community engagement strategies, and strategies schools have used to 
provide meals that are consistent with the 2020-2025 DGA. USDA FNS will 
highlight and share these diverse best practices nationwide through 
training and technical assistance resources and Healthy Meals Summits. 
SFAs meeting Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award criteria will 
receive nonmonetary recognition and stipends to attend and participate 
in the Healthy Meals Summits.
    FNS is developing the Recognition Awards Application and is seeking 
OMB approval. From August through October 2022, FNS met with State 
agencies and key school nutrition stakeholders to discuss potential 
Recognition Award categories, criteria, and documentation.
    The collected feedback has informed the development of the Healthy 
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards. FNS anticipates providing up to 10 
types of recognition awards. SFAs may receive awards in more than one 
category, but SFAs shall receive each award only once.
    The application for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards 
is planned to be available for SFAs to apply between School Year 2023-
2024 through School Year 2024-2025 (a two-year period). The application 
form will be available in both English and Spanish, and in other 
languages and alternative formats upon request. It will include 
instructions, the awards' criteria and required documentation, and 
sections to populate and/or upload the required documentation. The form 
will be designed to reduce burden for SFA applicants by being 
accessible online and including fillable sections to enter text. The 
type of information that will

[[Page 78919]]

be collected will include SFA information such as address, total number 
of schools, number of schools participating in the NSLP and SBP, 
percentage of student eligible for free- and reduced-price meals, 
school demographic information, such as percentage of students' race 
and ethnicity, and the SFA point of contact for the application. Also, 
each award may have up to ten questions that will be easy to respond by 
just entering a short narrative or uploading documentation and checking 
the box once it has been completed. This information will be used to 
verify that the SFA meets the established Recognition Award criteria. 
The type of documentation to be submitted with the application will 
vary by award but will consist primarily of documentation that the SFA 
is already required to maintain as part of the NSLP and SBP, such as 
school meal production records, menus, Nutrition Facts labels and 
ingredients statements for foods and beverages, and recipes. As part of 
the application, the SFA must include a form to be completed by the 
State agency that has an agreement with the SFA to operate the NSLP and 
SBP. This form will document that the SFA participates in the NSLP and/
or SBP, and does not have any outstanding corrective actions, 
unresolved findings, or findings related to program discrimination 
complaints. This form will include the name, title, and contact 
information of the State agency official that completes the form. The 
form will include four questions that will be answered by selecting the 
best answer and a space to provide more details as needed.
    SFAs applying for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards 
will receive up to three notifications about the progress of their 
application, including the confirmation that the application has been 
submitted and received, assistance for an incomplete application, and 
final application results. These notifications will be electronic and 
will inform the SFA of their application status and any required steps 
to complete the application process.
    SFAs participating in the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition 
Awards will also be asked to complete up to three feedback forms. These 
forms are needed to collect information about the customer service 
provided to SFA during the application process, collect best practices, 
and collect follow up information related to the delivery of the 
Recognition Awards and attendance at the Healthy Meals Summit. To 
maintain the burden to complete these forms as low as possible, they 
will be completed online, with no more than five questions, formatted 
so that the SFA can select the best option, and provide more details or 
comments as needed.
    The NSLP and SBP and the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition 
Awards are administered in a nondiscriminatory manner in accordance 
with civil rights laws and regulations.
    Affected Public: This collection has two respondent groups. The 
first respondent group includes School Food Authorities (SFAs) that 
participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in the 
contiguous United States, Hawaii, Alaska, District of Columbia, Puerto 
Rico, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands. The second respondent 
group includes State agencies that administer the NSLP and/or SBP, and 
have agreements with the SFAs.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 2,054, consisting of 2,000 School Food Authorities and 
54 State agencies.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: School Food 
Authorities (SFA) participating in the National School Lunch Program 
will be invited and encouraged to apply for at least one of the Healthy 
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards. There will be one application with 
all the awards. The SFA can use the application to apply for any number 
of the awards. The SFA can apply for all of the awards but may only 
receive recognition for each award once. SFAs that apply to the Healthy 
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards will need to read up to three 
notifications related to the application process, complete up to three 
feedback forms, and may need to update their application to correct 
missing or inaccurate information.
    State agencies will need to complete only one State Agency 
Confirmation Form per applicant SFA.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: The estimated total annual 
responses are 18,000 responses.

2,000 respondents x 8 responses = 16,000 total annual responses from 
School Food Authorities
2,000 respondents x 1 response = 2,000 total annual responses from 
State agencies
    Estimated Time per Response: The average estimated time of response 
by School Food Authorities (SFAs) and State agencies is shown in the 
table below and described in this section.
    The estimated time of response by the SFAs is broken down in four 
activities: new application, updated application, application 
notifications, and feedback forms. For SFAs to complete the Healthy 
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application, the estimated time of 
response varies from 300 to 1,500 minutes depending on how many awards 
the SFA applies for, with an average estimated time of 15 hours. To 
update the application, the estimated time to respond by each SFA is 
between 20 to 90 minutes depending on the number of updates needed to 
the application information and/or documentation, with an average 
estimated time of 1 hour. To read each of the notifications regarding 
the status of the application, the estimated time of response by SFA is 
between 5 to 35 minutes, with an average estimated time of 0.334 hour. 
To complete each feedback form, the estimated time of response by SFAs 
is between 25 to 35 minutes, with an average estimated time of 0.5 
hour.
    The estimated time of response by State agency to complete and send 
the State agency confirmation form per SFA is between 20 to 40 minutes, 
with and average estimated time of 0.5 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The estimated total 
annual burden on respondents is 2,280,240 minutes (38,004 hours). See 
the table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent.

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                                                                                     Estimated
                                     Estimated       Responses     Total  annual      average        Estimated
           Respondent                 number       annually per      responses       number of     total  hours
                                    respondent      respondent      (col. bxc)       hours per      (col. dxe)
                                                                                     response
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                                                Reporting Burden
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School Food Authorities--HMI               2,000            1.00           2,000              15        30,000.0
 Recognition Awards Application.

[[Page 78920]]

 
School Food Authorities--Updated           2,000            1.00           2,000               1         2,000.0
 HMI Recognition Awards
 Application....................
School Food Authorities--HMI               2,000            3.00           6,000           0.334         2,004.0
 Recognition Awards Application
 Notifications (Confirmation of
 Submission, Incomplete Status,
 Final Status)..................
School Food Authorities--HMI               2,000            3.00           6,000             0.5         3,000.0
 Recognition Awards Feedback
 Forms (Success Stories, Summit
 Celebration, Customer Service,
 and Technical Assistance)......
State Agencies of National                    54              37           2,000             0.5         1,000.0
 School Lunch Program...........
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    Total Reporting Burden......           2,054  ..............          18,000  ..............          38,004
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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-27941 Filed 12-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P