State and Local Government Respondents

School
Food Purchase
Study IV
United States
Department of
Agriculture

Study Team
Westat, an employee-owned research
corporation located in Rockville, MD,
is leading the study under contract
with FNS/USDA.
Westat has partnered with Agralytica,
a research company based in
Alexandria, VA.

Questions Regarding
This Study?
Please contact Westat’s Technical
Assistance Center by email at
www.purchasestudy.com
or by phone at XXX-XXX-XXXX
between 9am and 4pm EST.

We appreciate your support in
making this a successful study.
United States
Department of
Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting this study to obtain updated
national estimates of food acquisitions and a description and analysis of food
purchase practices of school districts participating in the Federally supported
school meal programs. The estimates will provide information on the type,
volume and source of foods acquired, the relative importance of USDA Foods,
and changes in food composition and cost over time. Participation in this
study by individuals is voluntary and the information collected will be used to
understand school meal program trends and practices associated with food
buying efficiency. 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 0584-0471. The time
required to provide this information collection is estimated to average 3 minutes
per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data
resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review 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 Service,
Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314 ATTN: PRA
(0584-0471).

59117.0320

Photo is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in
the photo is a model.

OMB Approval No. 0584-0471
Expires XX/XX/XXXX

About The Study

About Study Activities

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is
conducting the fourth School Food
Purchase Study to understand food
purchases--both commercial foods and
USDA Foods--of school food authorities
(SFAs) in the National School Lunch
Program and School Breakfast Program.

A nationally representative sample of 630 public-school SFAs will be invited to take part in
the study.

Selected SFAs will:
• Participate in two webinars to learn more about the study:
Study Overview and Food Purchase Data
• Complete an online survey about SFA food purchase practices.

In the decade since the prior study,
the school nutrition environment has
undergone considerable changes,
including updated nutrition standards
for school meals and standards for
competitive foods. These changes have
affected the purchasing practices of SFAs
in terms of the types, volume, and cost
of foods.
Findings from the study will provide
information on purchasing practices that
promote efficiencies. This information
may be especially useful to SFAs as they
strive to continually improve school
meals. Results may also be useful to
USDA in determining future offerings of
USDA Foods.

• Upload one quarter of food purchase data (e.g., velocity reports, vendor summaries,
invoices) to the study website, and provide quarterly program data.
• Receive a $300 stipend after completion of the web survey and submission of food
purchase data. This may be used to support conference attendance or similar
professional development opportunities.

State Distributing Agencies will:
Upload data on direct delivered and processed USDA Foods for sampled SFAs in selected
quarters.