F01.05 Req SDAs Sub USDA Fds Data (G1ab, G3)

APPENDIX F01.05. REQUEST TO SDAS TO SUBMIT USDA FOODS DATA (GROUPS 1A, 1B, and 3)

This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service in understanding school food purchasing practices, the nutritional quality of school meals and snacks, the cost to produce school meals, and student participation and dietary intakes. This is a mandatory collection and FNS will use the information to monitor program operations. This collection does not request any personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. 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 0.50 hours 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 Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return the completed form to this address.

Subject: USDA National School Foods Study: Please Submit USDA Foods Data for Quarter [insert #]

Dear [State Distributing Agency Director]:

I am writing to request data on USDA Foods for the USDA National School Foods Study, which will supplement the information submitted by SFAs, and help ensure a full accounting of SFA food acquisitions over the school year. We anticipate this request should take no more than 30 minutes.

For each SFA listed in the attached file, please provide an Excel (or other editable format) file with data on USDA Foods direct deliveries for quarter [#] of School Year 2024-2025 ([months range]).

To assist you with the data extraction from your system, the attached document, “Overview of USDA Foods Data,” specifies the data elements needed.

Please submit the requested data by [date]. You may email the data to [study email] or upload it to the secure study website at [study file transfer site]. If you choose to upload the data to the study website, you will need the following PIN:

• Unique PIN assigned to you: [####]

Under the terms of Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, institutions participating in the school meals programs are required to participate in this data collection. The decision to participate will not affect any USDA benefits received by institutions or agencies participating in this data collection. If you have any questions about the requested data, please visit the study website at [study website]. You may also email me at [email] or call me at [XXX-XXX-XXXX]. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please call HML IRB at 202-246-8504.

We appreciate your support of this important USDA study.

Sincerely,

[Name]

Attachments:

• List of SFAs for the quarter

• Overview of USDA Foods Data