Agency Information Collection Activities: Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application for School Food Authorities

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Published

December 23, 2022

Issuing agencies

Agriculture DepartmentFood and Nutrition Service

Abstract

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application. The Recognition Awards will recognize School Food Authorities (SFAs) that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their school meals by exceeding the transitional school meal pattern requirements, engaging students, and implementing innovative practices. SFAs can apply to one or more Recognition Awards included in the Application form.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 246 (Friday, December 23, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 246 (Friday, December 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78918-78920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27941]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service

Agency Information Collection Activities: Healthy Meals
Incentives Recognition Awards Application for School Food Authorities

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment
on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for
the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application. The
Recognition Awards will recognize School Food Authorities (SFAs) that
have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their
school meals by exceeding the transitional school meal pattern
requirements, engaging students, and implementing innovative practices.
SFAs can apply to one or more Recognition Awards included in the
Application form.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 10, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Kaylyn Padovani, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4th Floor, Food and Nutrition
Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone: 703-305-
2078. Comments may also be submitted via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fbaf9e9a96b58e8f89928f929495bb9d9588d58e889f9ad59c948d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9fcbfafef2d1eaebedf6ebf6f0f1dff9f1ecb1eaecfbfeb1f8f0e9">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> with ``Comments to HMI Recognition Awards
Application for SFAs'' in the subject line. Comments will also be
accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments electronically.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection should be directed to Kaylyn
Padovani via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3d69585c507348494f54495452537d5b534e13484e595c135a524b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="673302060a291213150e130e080927010914491214030649000811">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, or 703-305-2078.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
that were used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Title: Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application for
School Food Authorities.
Form Number: Not yet assigned.
OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School
Breakfast Program (SBP) are Federally assisted meal programs operating
in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care
institutions. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the NSLP and SBP at the
Federal level. These programs provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost,
or no-cost meals to children each school day. School lunches and
breakfasts provided through these programs (i.e., school meals) must
meet Federal nutrition requirements, which are based upon the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans.
On December 29, 2020, USDA and the United States Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, 2020-2025 (2020-2025 DGA). During this same time period, the
Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency caused major disruptions
to the NSLP and SBP and the food supply chain.
In February 2022, USDA FNS published the Child Nutrition Programs:
Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Final Rule
(hereafter referred to as ``Transitional Standards''). This rule
establishes transitional standards to support the continued provision
of nutritious school meals as schools respond to and recover from the
pandemic and while USDA engages in notice-and-comment rulemaking to
update the meal pattern standards to more comprehensively reflect the
2020-2025 DGA.
At the State level, the NSLP and SBP are administered by State
agencies, which operate these programs through agreements with School
Food Authorities (SFAs). While USDA FNS establishes meal pattern
requirements and weekly dietary specifications for school meals,
decisions about the specific foods to serve and how the foods are
prepared are made by SFAs.
USDA FNS recently announced the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative
Recognition Awards to support improvements in the nutritional quality
of school meals through the generation and sharing of innovative ideas
and tested practices being implemented at the local level. These
efforts will also highlight the remarkable achievements SFAs are making
in the offering of nutritious school meals that students enjoy. The
recognition awards will spotlight innovative practices, student and
community engagement strategies, and strategies schools have used to
provide meals that are consistent with the 2020-2025 DGA. USDA FNS will
highlight and share these diverse best practices nationwide through
training and technical assistance resources and Healthy Meals Summits.
SFAs meeting Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award criteria will
receive nonmonetary recognition and stipends to attend and participate
in the Healthy Meals Summits.
FNS is developing the Recognition Awards Application and is seeking
OMB approval. From August through October 2022, FNS met with State
agencies and key school nutrition stakeholders to discuss potential
Recognition Award categories, criteria, and documentation.
The collected feedback has informed the development of the Healthy
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards. FNS anticipates providing up to 10
types of recognition awards. SFAs may receive awards in more than one
category, but SFAs shall receive each award only once.
The application for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
is planned to be available for SFAs to apply between School Year 2023-
2024 through School Year 2024-2025 (a two-year period). The application
form will be available in both English and Spanish, and in other
languages and alternative formats upon request. It will include
instructions, the awards' criteria and required documentation, and
sections to populate and/or upload the required documentation. The form
will be designed to reduce burden for SFA applicants by being
accessible online and including fillable sections to enter text. The
type of information that will

[[Page 78919]]

be collected will include SFA information such as address, total number
of schools, number of schools participating in the NSLP and SBP,
percentage of student eligible for free- and reduced-price meals,
school demographic information, such as percentage of students' race
and ethnicity, and the SFA point of contact for the application. Also,
each award may have up to ten questions that will be easy to respond by
just entering a short narrative or uploading documentation and checking
the box once it has been completed. This information will be used to
verify that the SFA meets the established Recognition Award criteria.
The type of documentation to be submitted with the application will
vary by award but will consist primarily of documentation that the SFA
is already required to maintain as part of the NSLP and SBP, such as
school meal production records, menus, Nutrition Facts labels and
ingredients statements for foods and beverages, and recipes. As part of
the application, the SFA must include a form to be completed by the
State agency that has an agreement with the SFA to operate the NSLP and
SBP. This form will document that the SFA participates in the NSLP and/
or SBP, and does not have any outstanding corrective actions,
unresolved findings, or findings related to program discrimination
complaints. This form will include the name, title, and contact
information of the State agency official that completes the form. The
form will include four questions that will be answered by selecting the
best answer and a space to provide more details as needed.
SFAs applying for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
will receive up to three notifications about the progress of their
application, including the confirmation that the application has been
submitted and received, assistance for an incomplete application, and
final application results. These notifications will be electronic and
will inform the SFA of their application status and any required steps
to complete the application process.
SFAs participating in the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition
Awards will also be asked to complete up to three feedback forms. These
forms are needed to collect information about the customer service
provided to SFA during the application process, collect best practices,
and collect follow up information related to the delivery of the
Recognition Awards and attendance at the Healthy Meals Summit. To
maintain the burden to complete these forms as low as possible, they
will be completed online, with no more than five questions, formatted
so that the SFA can select the best option, and provide more details or
comments as needed.
The NSLP and SBP and the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition
Awards are administered in a nondiscriminatory manner in accordance
with civil rights laws and regulations.
Affected Public: This collection has two respondent groups. The
first respondent group includes School Food Authorities (SFAs) that
participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in the
contiguous United States, Hawaii, Alaska, District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands. The second respondent
group includes State agencies that administer the NSLP and/or SBP, and
have agreements with the SFAs.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 2,054, consisting of 2,000 School Food Authorities and
54 State agencies.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: School Food
Authorities (SFA) participating in the National School Lunch Program
will be invited and encouraged to apply for at least one of the Healthy
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards. There will be one application with
all the awards. The SFA can use the application to apply for any number
of the awards. The SFA can apply for all of the awards but may only
receive recognition for each award once. SFAs that apply to the Healthy
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards will need to read up to three
notifications related to the application process, complete up to three
feedback forms, and may need to update their application to correct
missing or inaccurate information.
State agencies will need to complete only one State Agency
Confirmation Form per applicant SFA.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: The estimated total annual
responses are 18,000 responses.

2,000 respondents x 8 responses = 16,000 total annual responses from
School Food Authorities
2,000 respondents x 1 response = 2,000 total annual responses from
State agencies
Estimated Time per Response: The average estimated time of response
by School Food Authorities (SFAs) and State agencies is shown in the
table below and described in this section.
The estimated time of response by the SFAs is broken down in four
activities: new application, updated application, application
notifications, and feedback forms. For SFAs to complete the Healthy
Meals Incentives Recognition Awards Application, the estimated time of
response varies from 300 to 1,500 minutes depending on how many awards
the SFA applies for, with an average estimated time of 15 hours. To
update the application, the estimated time to respond by each SFA is
between 20 to 90 minutes depending on the number of updates needed to
the application information and/or documentation, with an average
estimated time of 1 hour. To read each of the notifications regarding
the status of the application, the estimated time of response by SFA is
between 5 to 35 minutes, with an average estimated time of 0.334 hour.
To complete each feedback form, the estimated time of response by SFAs
is between 25 to 35 minutes, with an average estimated time of 0.5
hour.
The estimated time of response by State agency to complete and send
the State agency confirmation form per SFA is between 20 to 40 minutes,
with and average estimated time of 0.5 hour.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The estimated total
annual burden on respondents is 2,280,240 minutes (38,004 hours). See
the table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of
respondent.

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Estimated
Estimated Responses Total annual average Estimated
Respondent number annually per responses number of total hours
respondent respondent (col. bxc) hours per (col. dxe)
response
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Reporting Burden
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School Food Authorities--HMI 2,000 1.00 2,000 15 30,000.0
Recognition Awards Application.

[[Page 78920]]

School Food Authorities--Updated 2,000 1.00 2,000 1 2,000.0
HMI Recognition Awards
Application....................
School Food Authorities--HMI 2,000 3.00 6,000 0.334 2,004.0
Recognition Awards Application
Notifications (Confirmation of
Submission, Incomplete Status,
Final Status)..................
School Food Authorities--HMI 2,000 3.00 6,000 0.5 3,000.0
Recognition Awards Feedback
Forms (Success Stories, Summit
Celebration, Customer Service,
and Technical Assistance)......
State Agencies of National 54 37 2,000 0.5 1,000.0
School Lunch Program...........
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Total Reporting Burden...... 2,054 .............. 18,000 .............. 38,004
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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-27941 Filed 12-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P

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