Appendix F Distributor Interview Recruitment Email

APPENDIX F

Distributor Interview Recruitment Email

OMB Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx

Dear [Distributor Name]:

Congratulations! You’ve been recommended to participate in the 2019 Farm to School Distributor Interview, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Farm to School Census and Comprehensive Review. This 3-year study will review and describe the multiple facets of USDA’s Farm to School program, and general growth of farm to school efforts across the country.

The USDA FNS has selected Abt Associates, an independent research company, to conduct the 2019 Farm to School Distributor Interviews.

You have been nominated to participate as one of a selective group of 20 food distributors of different types and sizes across FNS regions, to share your industry knowledge and experience regarding the processes and challenges of using local supply chains, and the economic scope and impacts of local food purchases. Your input, provided through a 60-minute telephone interview, will provide critical feedback that will help to inform FNS policy decisions.

You will be asked to provide information regarding [INSERT NAME OF COMPANY]’s approximate volume and cost of local food purchasing and procurement, in addition to open-ended questions about the procurement process.

A member of the our study team will contact you via telephone in the next week to provide more detail about the study, answer any questions you might have, and to schedule your interview.

We greatly appreciate your support of this study and look forward to speaking with you soon. For additional information about the Distributor Interview, please review the “Frequently Asked Questions.” [INSERT LINK TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS]

If you have any questions, please contact our project team at toll-free 866-778-1316 from 9 AM to 9 PM ET or e-mail [email protected]. If you have any questions regarding the authorization for this project, you may contact the FNS Project Officer by telephone at 703-457-7741 or via email at [email protected].

Thank you in advance for your support and assistance.

Sincerely,

Maria Boyle Cindy Long

Project Director Deputy Administrator

Farm to School Census and Comprehensive Review Child Nutrition Programs

Abt Associates USDA Food and Nutrition Service

    

          

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 4 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. 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