Appendix AD Summary of Data Collection Activities

APPENDIX AD.

SUMMARY OF DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES

Distributor Interview

The Distributor Interview (Appendix C) will allow the study team to obtain the perspectives of large-scale food distributors on the processes and challenges to local food purchasing and procurement. The 60 minute interview will be conducted via phone and the majority of the interview will gather qualitative information on the procurement process, as well as some quantitative questions on the volume and cost of local foods. The interview will be completed once in early 2019 over the phone by an experienced in-depth interviewer. Distributor participation will be voluntary. These interviews will be exploratory and will help address whether a larger survey is practicable and desirable by FNS.

The sample for the Distributor Interview will consist of 25 representatives of school food distributors (20 respondents and 5 non-respondents with an assumed response rate of 80 percent). These 25 distributors will be purposively sampled and recruited based on a list developed by FNS. Distributors will receive an initial recruitment email that includes a request to participate from the study team (Appendix F). A document answering frequently asked questions (FAQs) will be provided alongside the email (Appendix G). Next, the study team will contact participants by telephone (Appendix H). During this phone call, the study team will offer to schedule a time to complete the interview when it is convenient for the respondent or conduct the interview at that time. A maximum of eight phone attempts will be made per distributor to administer the interview. Once the interview is scheduled, the study team will send distributors a confirmation email that summarizes logistical information for the interview (Appendix I). Following the interview, all participating distributors will receive a thank you email (Appendix J).

Census

As part of the Census, FNS will send an initial recruitment email to the universe of 55 State Child Nutrition (CN) Directors (Appendix K). This email will alert them to upcoming study activities and introduce them to members of the study team. Next, the universe of 55 State Child Nutrition Directors will receive a recruitment email from the study team (Appendix L). In this email, State Child Nutrition Directors will be asked to provide contact information for all public and private SFAs that administer the NSLP in the State or territory for the purpose of constructing the most up-to-date list frame possible. The study team will also encourage the State Child Nutrition Directors to send three emails in total to SFAs. The study team will first send an introductory email to State Child Nutrition Directors (Appendix M.1), including an attached template that they can use to send SFAs for the pre-Census recruitment email (Appendix M.2). Then, the study team will send a follow-up email to State Child Nutrition Directors (Appendix N.1), asking State Child Nutrition Directors to send two reminder emails to SFAs (Appendix N.2). All State CN Directors are expected to provide this list and forward the emails. FNS will also send one email to the universe of 55 State Department of Agriculture Directors (Appendix O), which will alert them to upcoming study activities, introduce them to the members of the study team, and ask for their help publicizing the Census by announcing the Census in upcoming newsletters and events.

Collecting data on the impact and benefits of various farm to school activities administered by grantees, schools, school food authorities (SFAs), and other stakeholders, the Census will solicit responses from the universe of 20,000 SFAs (16,000 respondents and 4,000 non-respondents^a at a response rate of 80 percent). It is voluntary and not required for participation in FNS programs. First, SFAs will receive the pre-Census recruitment email from State CN Directors (Appendix M.2), introducing SFAs to the study team. SFAs will then receive an email invitation from the study team (Appendix P) that contains a unique link to participate in the online Census survey. A document answering frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Census in particular will be provided to the SFAs (Appendix Q), as well as an optional worksheet to help SFAs prepare for the Census (Appendix R). Over the course of the study, SFAs will receive up to ten reminder emails to complete the survey: The study team will send up to eight emails to SFA Directors who have not yet completed the survey (Appendix P) and all potential SFA respondents will also receive two reminder emails from State Child Nutrition directors (Appendix N.2). After all eight Census reminder e-mails are sent by the study team, if the response rate remains lower than 80%, a subsample of up to 2,681 non-respondents (2,011 public SFAs and 670 private SFAs) will receive up to two reminder calls.^b Using the call script in Appendix S, the study team will encourage SFAs to complete the survey over the phone.^c When the Census is complete, all responding SFAs will receive a thank you email (Appendix T).

a 12,000 public SFAs + 4,000 private SFAs = 16,000 respondents and 3,000 public SFAs and 1,000 private SFAs = 4,000 non-respondents (see burden table, Table A-2).

b This subsample will be stratified by SFA size (large, mid-size, and small). Within each stratum nonresponding SFAs will be selected with simple random sampling. A subsample of approximately 2,681 SFAs was selected in order to maximize recruitment efforts within the cost and time limitations of the study.

c If the SFA director agrees to complete the survey over the phone, the researcher will verbally lead the respondent through the web survey

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