F2. Email with Link to Menu Planning Survey and Request for Site Menus

OMB Control No: 0584-XXXX Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX Expiration Date: 03/31/2019

Appendix F2. Email with Link to Menu Planning Survey and Request for Site Menus

Dear [Sponsor/Site Supervisor]¹

Thank you for participating in the Summer Meals Study. Westat is conducting this study on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), to help FNS better understand the characteristics of Summer Meal Programs. The study will look at program operations, identify what affects sponsor, site, and child participation in the programs, and look at the food group and nutrient content of summer meals and snacks.

At this time we are collecting information on the summer meals and snacks. We are contacting you because you are the staff member responsible for planning the menus for [NAME OF SITE], and are the most knowledgeable about foods and beverages offered.

First, as soon as possible, please go to www.summermealsstudy.com to complete the Menu Planning Survey. This short survey asks questions about how you plan menus for the program. It should take you about 20 minutes to fill out.

We will also be collecting menus of all foods and beverages offered through the summer meal program for <SITE NAME>, for the weeks of <first week selected> and <second week selected>. We will ask you to send us these menus at the end of each selected week, after the meals and/or snacks are served. We will work with you to make this as easy as possible.

• We will ask you to send us the list of foods and beverages offered for reimbursable meals or snacks, the serving size of each item offered, along with all recipes used.

• We will need to know details like whether or not the bread was whole grain, if the apples were whole or sliced, and the fat content of milk and whether or not it was flavored. See the FAQ section below for more information about the details needed for the foods and beverages served.

• We will send you an email at the end of both weeks with this request. You may send the menus to us using any of the following methods:

FTP SITE	https:/www.SUMS.org username: password:
Email	[email protected]
Fax	1-800-XXX-XXXX
U.S. Mail	SUMS Westat 1650 Research Blvd Rockville, MD 20850

You may also ask that we contact you by telephone to obtain the information.

We will look at your menus and recipes and ask you for any further details about the foods and beverages served in a Menu Survey Follow-up Report. You may return the form to us using any of the methods listed above. You may also ask that we contact you by telephone to get the information.

We have attached a list of Frequently Asked Questions; please read these to understand all the details needed. If you have any questions about the study or what is being requested, please email us at [email protected] or call us toll-free at 1-800-XXX-XXXX.

Thank you again for your support of the study!

Sincerely,

The Summer Meals Study Team
Westat

Attachment:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Summer Meals Study?

   • The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service is conducting a study to understand who goes to Summer Meal Programs and why. The study will also collect information on the meals/snacks served and menu planning practices.

2. What is a menu?

   • A menu lists the foods and beverages you serve to children at [NAME OF SITE] at each meal (breakfast, lunch, supper, or snacks).

   • Weekly menus list the foods and beverages served to participating children at the site for each day of the week.

   • Be sure that the menu includes all foods and beverages offered for reimbursable meals or snacks, the serving size of each item offered, along with all recipes used. Do not include extra/a la carte items.

3. What kind of details are you looking for on the menu?

   • The serving size of the food served.

   • The kind of food served – e.g., apple rather than “fruit”, carrot sticks rather than “vegetable”.

   • The form of the fruit or vegetable served – Was it peeled? Was it raw, canned, or cooked from fresh or frozen?

   • For canned fruit – was it packed in water, juice, or syrup? If syrup, what kind was it – heavy, light, or extra light?

   • Whether the breads, rolls, pasta or other grains were 100% whole grain, whole grain-rich, or enriched products.

• Was the milk plain or flavored? Was the milk Whole milk, Reduced fat (2%), Low fat (1%), or Fat free (Skim)?

• Were the meat or meat alternates (e.g., cheese, eggs, beans, nuts, yogurt) regular, lean, or lowfat?

• The brand name of all products, when possible.

4. What are whole grain, whole grain-rich, enriched and fortified products?

   • In whole grain products, all of the grain ingredients are 100% whole grains. Some examples include: whole wheat flour, rolled oats, brown rice, and quinoa..

   • Whole grain-rich products contain at least 50 percent whole grains and the remaining grains are enriched; the ingredients on the label lists a whole grain as the first ingredient. You may also find that the product label contains information about whether or not the item is whole grain or whole grain-rich.

   • Enriched products list enriched flour or cereal as the first grain ingredient on the ingredient list.

   • Fortified cereals are ready-to-eat or cooked products containing added vitamins and/or minerals.

5. What type of follow-up information will you need?

   • We will review each menu for food details. If we need clarification, we will send a Menu Follow-up Report within two weeks with questions about the items where we need more detail.

6. Whom should you contact if you have questions?

   • If you have any questions about this survey, please contact us at [email protected] or call XXX-XXX-XXXX.

1 The person responsible for meal planning at the site.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx*). Do not return the completed form to this address.