Notice2026-01234
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 60-Day Public Comment Request for the Study Classifying and Measuring Household Food Waste
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Published
January 23, 2026
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 collection is a new collection for identifying and describing the sources of food waste; identifying and describing how much food waste can be attributed to these different sources in U.S. households overall and by food category; identifying and describing how estimates of food waste attributable to each source, overall and by food category, are associated with household characteristics including household income and per capita food-at-home expenditure; identifying and describing how estimates of food waste attributable to each source, overall and by food category, are associated with adherence to best practices in minimizing household food waste; identifying and describing the minimum level of food waste by source, overall, and by food category, observable in a nationally representative sample of U.S. households; and using information collected from objectives 1-5 to develop updated food waste estimates and a predictive model that estimates the proportion of food waste at the household level for varied household types.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2901-2902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01234]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
60-Day Public Comment Request for the Study Classifying and Measuring
Household Food Waste
AGENCY: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
(CNPP).
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 collection is a new
collection for identifying and describing the sources of food waste;
identifying and describing how much food waste can be attributed to
these different sources in U.S. households overall and by food
category; identifying and describing how estimates of food waste
attributable to each source, overall and by food category, are
associated with household characteristics including household income
and per capita food-at-home expenditure; identifying and describing how
estimates of food waste attributable to each source, overall and by
food category, are associated with adherence to best practices in
minimizing household food waste; identifying and describing the minimum
level of food waste by source, overall, and by food category,
observable in a nationally representative sample of U.S. households;
and using information collected from objectives 1-5 to develop updated
food waste estimates and a predictive model that estimates the
proportion of food waste at the household level for varied household
types.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 24, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Michael Schwarz, Economist,
Nutrition and Economic Analysis Branch, Nutrition Guidance and Analysis
Division, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place,
Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#365b5f555e57535a1845555e4157444c764345525718515940"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3b565258535a5e57154858534c5a49417b4e485f5a155c544d">[email protected]</span></a>. 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 written comments will be open for public inspection at the
office of the Food and Nutrition Service during regular business hours
(8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), Monday through Friday at Braddock Metro
Center II, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.
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 collected should be directed to Michael
Schwarz by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6cbcfc5cec7c3ca88d5c5ced1c7d4dce6d3d5c2c788c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e5888c868d848089cb96868d9284979fa590968184cb828a93">[email protected]</span></a> or by phone at (703) 605-
4314.
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: Classifying and Measuring Household Food Waste.
Form Number: Not Applicable.
OMB Number: Not Yet Assigned.
Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
Type of Request: New Collection.
Abstract: This is a new information collection request. The Thrifty
Food Plan (TFP) outlines costs associated with foods and beverages that
can be purchased on a limited budget to support a healthy diet at home;
the TFP is the least costly of four nutritionally balanced food plans
developed by the USDA. The average monthly TFP food cost estimates for
a standard four-person household \1\ are used to set maximum monthly
benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Understanding the amount of food wasted at the household level is an
integral part of the TFP because even the thriftiest households
generate some food loss or waste.\2\ This study aims to provide data-
driven estimates of the amount of food waste households create and the
minimum level of food waste generated by U.S. households (with a focus
on four-person households). This study will use household surveys,
digital food waste diaries, wastebin audits, and indepth interviews to
update estimates of household food waste and develop a new predictive
model to estimate household food waste for the foreseeable future. FNS
has identified six objectives for this study: (1) Identify and describe
the sources of food waste, (2) identify and describe how much food
waste can be attributed to these different sources in the U.S.
households overall and by food category, (3) identify and describe how
estimates of food waste attributable to each source, overall and by
food category, are associated with household characteristics including
household income and per capita food-at-home expenditure, (4) identify
and describe how estimates of food waste attributable to each source,
overall and by food category, are associated with adherence to best
practices in minimizing household food waste, (5) identify and describe
the minimum level of food waste by source, overall, and by foot
category, observable in a nationally representative sample of U.S.
households, and (6) using information collected from Objectives 1-5,
develop food waste estimates and a predictive model to estimate the
proportion of food waste at the household level for varied household
types.
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\1\ One adult man aged 20-50, one adult woman aged 20-50, one
child aged 9-11 and one child aged 6-8.
\2\ Unavoidable food waste occurs at the household level (though
not at the fault of the household) because of supply chain
inefficiencies, such as dairy spoiling prematurely because it was
not handled properly by retailers (Mercier, et al., 2017).
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Affected Public: Members of the public affected by the data
collection are individuals who live in the contiguous U.S. and have a
USPS mailing address.
Data collection: Recruitment materials will be mailed to 12,600
sampled households inviting them to participate in the data collection.
This mailing will direct interested households to an online consent
form and pre-screening questions to assess their eligibility to
participate. Recruited households may receive up to three reminder
mailings and two phone calls. The study team anticipates approximately
8 percent (1,008 households) of the 12,600 households invited to
participate will complete the study consent form and pre-screening
questions. The study team
[[Page 2902]]
aims to enroll 900 households (89 percent) from among those completing
the consent form and pre-screening questions to participate in data
collection. Data collection will include a household survey of all 900
enrolled households, 12 weeks of digital food diaries per household
(four 3-week long rounds, wastebin audits for a subset of up to 70
enrolled households, and indepth interviews with a subset of 80
enrolled households. Respondent groups identified for data collection
include the 1,008 consented households that initially consent and, from
that larger group, the 900 participating households that complete the
household surveys and digital food diaries, the 70 households who
participate in wastebin audits and the 80 households who participate in
indepth interviews, and 11,592 nonrespondents.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
participants is 12,600; 11,592 of these households are estimated to be
nonresponsive or be responsive to the consent but not fill out the
initial household survey. Of the 12,600 contacted, 1,008 are estimated
to be responsive and of these responsive participants 900 are expected
to fill out the household survey. Of these 900 households, 80 will also
participate in indepth interviews and 70 will participate in waste bin
audits. From the initial sample of 900 households completing the
household survey, the study team assumes 70 percent will complete all
three weeks of the first round of digital food diaries. For each
subsequent data collection period, the team assumes 5 percent attrition
(i.e., 65 percent in the second round, 60 percent in the third round,
55 percent in the fourth round). Similarly, from the initial sample of
70 households completing the wastebin audits, the team assumes 5
percent attrition for each subsequent data collection period. The study
team assumes they will successfully recruit the full target sample of
80 participants for the qualitative interview sample.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Of the 12,600 households
contacted, 1,008 are estimated to be responsive and 11,469 are
estimated to be nonresponsive.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.11 responses (24.72
for responsive participants and 3.41 for nonresponsive participants).
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 64,443 responses (24,920 annual
responses for responsive participants and 39,523 annual responses for
nonresponsive participants).
Estimated Time per Response: 0.22 hours (0.46 for responsive
participants and 0.073 for nonresponsive participants).
Estimated Time of Response: From 0.017 to 4.00 hours (1 minute to
240 minutes), depending on the activity, as shown in the burden table
below, with an average estimated time of 0.22 hours (13 minutes) for
all responses. The average estimated time is calculated by dividing the
14,365 estimated total hours for responses in the burden table below by
the 65,443 total estimated responses.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 14,365 hours (11,469
for responsive participants and 2,896 for nonresponsive participants).
See the burden table below for estimated total annual burden for each
type of respondent by data collection activity including the non-
responses.
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Responsive Nonresponsive Grand total Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- annual annualized
Type of respondent Frequency Total Annual Number of Frequency Total Annual burden cost of
Number of of annual burden non- of annual burden estimate respondent
respondents response responses (hours) respondents response responses (hours) (hours) burden
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Individuals living in the contiguous U.S. with a USPS address
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Sampled households........... 6,300 1 6,300 525.00 6,300 1 6,300 105.00 630.00 $22,680.00
1,008 1 1,008 252.00 11,592 1 11,592 1,932.00 2,184.00 78,624.00
5,040 1 5,040 168.00 5,040 1 5,040 84.00 252.00 9,072.00
3,528 1 3,528 117.60 5,292 1 5,292 88.20 205.80 7,408.80
2,268 1 2,268 75.60 5,292 1 5,292 88.20 163.80 5,896.80
2,520 1 2,520 210.00 3,780 1 3,780 189.00 399.00 14,364.00
Enrolled households.......... 900 1 900 450.00 108 1 108 9.00 459.00 16,524.00
450 1 450 337.50 450 1 450 37.50 375.00 13,500.00
630 1 630 2,520.00 270 1 270 67.50 2,587.50 93,150.00
585 1 585 2,340.00 315 1 315 78.75 2,418.75 87,075.00
540 1 540 2,160.00 360 1 360 90.00 2,250.00 81,000.00
495 1 495 1,980.00 405 1 405 101.25 2,081.25 74,925.00
80 1 80 6.67 40 1 40 2.00 8.67 312.00
80 1 80 80.00 ........... 1 .......... ......... 80.00 2,880.00
Enrolled households selected 250 1 250 62.50 125 1 125 10.42 72.92 2,625.00
for wastebin audit.......... 100 1 100 75.00 ........... 1 .......... ......... 75.00 2,700.00
64 1 64 48.00 36 1 36 3.00 51.00 1,836.00
58 1 58 43.50 42 1 42 3.50 47.00 1,692.00
54 1 54 40.50 46 1 46 3.83 44.33 1,596.00
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Households total......... 1,008 24.75 24,950 11,492 11,592 3.41 39,493 2,893 14,385 517,860.60
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Patrick A. Penn,
Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.
[FR Doc. 2026-01234 Filed 1-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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