34104 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2018 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2018–0020] 

Notice of Request for a New 

Information Collection: Food Defense 

Vulnerability Questionnaire 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 

its intention to collect information from 

food industry and academic experts on 

vulnerabilities and research activities 

related to food defense for FSISregulated food products. The purpose of 

this information collection is to inform 

FSIS food defense efforts to help protect 

against an intentional attack on the food 

supply. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

September 17, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested 

persons to submit comments on this 

Federal Register notice. Comments may 

be submitted by one of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This 

website provides the ability to type 

short comments directly into the 

comment field on this web page or 

attach a file for lengthier comments. Go 

to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the on-line instructions at that site for 

submitting comments. 

• Mail, including CD–ROMs, etc.: 

Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, 

Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

• Hand- or courier-delivered 

submittals: Deliver to 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, 

Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

Instructions: All items submitted by 

mail or electronic mail must include the 

Agency name and docket number FSIS– 

2018–0020. Comments received in 

response to this docket will be made 

available for public inspection and 

posted without change, including any 

personal information, to http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Docket: For access to background 

documents or comments received, call 

(202) 720–5627 to schedule a time to 

visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, 

Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina 

Kouba, Office of Policy and Program 

Development, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250– 

3700; (202) 720–5627. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Food Defense Vulnerability 

Questionnaire 

Type of Request: New information 

collection. 

Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the 

authority to exercise the functions of the 

Secretary (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53) as specified 

in the Federal Meat Inspection Act 

(FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), the 

Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) 

(21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.) and the Egg 

Products Inspection Act (EPIA) (21 

U.S.C. 1031, et seq.). These statutes 

mandate that FSIS protect the public by 

verifying that meat, poultry, and egg 

products are safe, wholesome, 

unadulterated, and properly labeled and 

packaged. 

FSIS’s Office of Data Integration and 

Food Protection (ODIFP) develops, 

maintains, and coordinates all FSIS 

activities to prevent, prepare for, 

respond to, and recover from significant 

incidents resulting from intentional 

contamination or deliberate acts of 

terrorism and other significant incidents 

affecting meat, poultry, and processed 

egg products. Food defense is the 

protection of food products from 

intentional contamination intended to 

harm public health or cause economic 

disruption. As part of ODIFP, the Food 

Defense Assessment Staff works with 

government agencies, industry, and 

other organizations to develop and 

implement strategies to prevent, protect 

against, mitigate, respond to, and 

recover from intentional contamination 

of the food supply. FSIS food defense 

activities are guided by national policies 

and directives, including Homeland 

Security Presidential Directive Nine, 

which requires USDA to perform 

vulnerability assessments of the food 

system and update these vulnerability 

assessments every two years. 

FSIS strives to continually assess 

current food defense vulnerabilities, 

identify new food defense 

vulnerabilities, and remain aware of 

current and planned food defense 

research efforts. In order to help inform 

FSIS food defense activities and help 

protect against an intentional attack on 

the food supply, FSIS will administer a 

series of questionnaires to food industry 

and academic experts on vulnerabilities 

and research activities in the area of 

food defense for FSIS-regulated food 

products. 

The first questionnaire will be 

conducted in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, and 

the second and third questionnaires will 

be conducted in FY 2020 and FY 2021 

respectively. The questionnaire will be 

administered to approximately 170 food 

industry and academic experts each 

fiscal year (FY 2019, FY 2020, and FY 

2021). 

The results from the FY 2019 

questionnaire will inform FSIS’s food 

defense activities, including 

vulnerability assessment efforts. 

Estimate of Burden: 

ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN FOR THE FY 2019 QUESTIONNAIRE

Respondents Number of 

respondents Participation time Burden (hours) 

Food industry and academic experts .................................................................................... 170 40 minutes ........... 113.3 

ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN FOR THE FY 2020 QUESTIONNAIRE

Respondents Number of 

respondents Participation time Burden (hours) 

Food industry and academic experts .................................................................................... 170 40 minutes ........... 113.3 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2018 / Notices 34105 

ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN FOR THE FY 2021 QUESTIONNAIRE

Respondents Number of 

respondents Participation time Burden (hours) 

Food industry and academic experts .................................................................................... 170 40 minutes ........... 113.3 

Respondents: Food Industry and 

Academic Experts. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

510. 

Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Burden on 

Respondents: 340 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

assessment can be obtained from Gina 

Kouba, Office of Policy and Program 

Development, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250– 

3700; (202) 720–5627. 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of FSIS’s functions, including whether 

the information will have practical 

utility; (b) the accuracy of FSIS’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the method and assumptions 

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, including through the use 

of appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques, or other forms of 

information technology. Comments may 

be sent to both FSIS, at the addresses 

provided above, and the Desk Officer for 

Agriculture, Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs, Office of 

Management and Budget, Washington, 

DC 20253. 

Responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important. Consequently, FSIS will 

announce this Federal Register 

publication on-line through the FSIS 

web page located at: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register. 

FSIS also will make copies of this 

publication available through the FSIS 

Constituent Update, which is used to 

provide information regarding FSIS 

policies, procedures, regulations, 

Federal Register notices, FSIS public 

meetings, and other types of information 

that could affect or would be of interest 

to our constituents and stakeholders. 

The Update is available on the FSIS web 

page. Through the web page, FSIS is 

able to provide information to a much 

broader, more diverse audience. In 

addition, FSIS offers an email 

subscription service which provides 

automatic and customized access to 

selected food safety news and 

information. This service is available at: 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. 

Options range from recalls to export 

information, regulations, directives, and 

notices. Customers can add or delete 

subscriptions themselves, and have the 

option to password protect their 

accounts. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

No agency, officer, or employee of the 

USDA shall, on the grounds of race, 

color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity, sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, or political 

beliefs, exclude from participation in, 

deny the benefits of, or subject to 

discrimination any person in the United 

States under any program or activity 

conducted by the USDA. 

How To File a Complaint of 

Discrimination 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, which 

may be accessed online at http://

www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ 

docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_

12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 

or your authorized representative. 

Send your completed complaint form 

or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442. 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center 

at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 

Paul Kiecker, 

Acting Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15461 Filed 7–18–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

National School Lunch, Special Milk, 

and School Breakfast Programs, 

National Average Payments/Maximum 

Reimbursement Rates 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the 

annual adjustments to the national 

average payments, the amount of money 

the Federal Government provides States 

for lunches, afterschool snacks, and 

breakfasts served to children 

participating in the National School 

Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; 

to the maximum reimbursement rates, 

the maximum per lunch rate from 

Federal funds that a State can provide 

a school food authority for lunches 

served to children participating in the 

National School Lunch Program; and to 

the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint 

of milk served to non-needy children in 

a school or institution that participates 

in the Special Milk Program for 

Children. The annual payments and 

rates adjustments for the National 

School Lunch and School Breakfast 

Programs reflect changes in the Food 

Away From Home series of the 

Consumer Price Index for All Urban 

Consumers. The annual rate adjustment 

for the Special Milk Program reflects 

changes in the Producer Price Index for 

Fluid Milk Products. Further 

adjustments are made to these rates to 

reflect higher costs of providing meals 

in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The 

payments and rates are prescribed on an 

annual basis each July. 

DATES: These rates are effective from 

July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jessica Saracino, Branch Chief, Program 

Monitoring and Operational Support 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES