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[Federal Register: May 25, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 100)]
[Notices]               
[Page 29303-29306]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25my10-24]                         

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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

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[[Page 29303]]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-FV-10-0026, FV-10-329]

 
Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces that the Agricultural 
Marketing Service (AMS) is requesting approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget for extension of the information collection: USDA 
Food Connect Web site.

DATES: Comments received by July 26, 2010 will be considered.
    Additional Information or Comments: Contact Lynne E. Yedinak, 
Business Development and Quality Assurance Section, Processed Products 
Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 0247, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-0247, telephone: (202) 720-9939 and Fax: 
(202) 690-1527; or Internet: http://www.regulations.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: USDA Food Connect Web site.
    OMB Number: 0581-0224.
    Expiration Date of Approval: December 30, 2010.
    Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Information 
Collection.
    Abstract: The information collection requirements in this request 
are necessary for the operation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) Food Connect Web site, which operates pursuant to the authority 
of Section 32 of Public Law 320. The USDA Food Connect Web site 
supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing 
Service's mission of facilitating the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. 
agricultural products. Registering to participate on or use the USDA 
Food Connect Web site is voluntary.
    The USDA Food Connect Web site provides a Web-based resource where 
food processors and distributors register their nutritious, value-added 
foods for institutional food service professionals to choose from, for 
the products they require through a neutral venue. Brokers can also 
list the food processors and regions they represent on the Web site 
along with food associations' information on their educational 
resources.
    The National School Lunch Program is a Federally assisted meal 
program operating in over 100,000 public and non-profit private schools 
and residential childcare institutions. It provides nutritionally 
balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 30.5 million children 
each school day. In 1998, Congress expanded the National School Lunch 
Program to include reimbursement for snacks served to children in 
after-school educational and enrichment programs, to include children 
through 18 years of age. The USDA Food Connect Web site was developed 
to assist schools and other feeding programs, such as those serving 
Native American facilities, health care facilities, prisons, and needy 
families, to find the most nutritious, value-added foods purchased by 
the Federal Government.
    Institutional food service professionals (public and private 
schools, the military, Veterans Administration facilities, Native 
American facilities, health care facilities, colleges and universities, 
prisons, child care facilities and facilities for needy families) who 
choose to register on the USDA Food Connect Web site provide the 
following information: The registrant's name, position, e-mail address, 
telephone number, school/organization name, and address. Processors who 
choose to register on the USDA Food Connect Web site provide the 
following information: Confirmation that the company is eligible to 
participate in Federal procurement, the registrant's name, position, e-
mail address, telephone number, company name, address, country, and 
whether they are a national or regional processor. Distributors who 
choose to register on the USDA Food Connect Web site provide the 
following information: The registrant's name, position, e-mail address, 
telephone number, company name, address, country, and whether they are 
a national or regional distributor. Brokers who choose to register on 
the USDA Food Connect Web site provide the following information: The 
registrant's name, position, e-mail address, telephone number, 
brokerage company name, address, country, and the States they serve. 
Food related associations who choose to register on the USDA Food 
Connect Web site provide the following information: The association 
name, address, city, State, zip code, country, e-mail address, 
telephone number, and a description of association services. 
Information provided by institutional food service professionals 
assists processors, distributors, and brokers to view meal-serving 
information of a school or organization. Processor and distributor food 
product and contact information are available to the institutional food 
service professionals to assist them in locating processors and 
distributors that handle the food products that they want to use. The 
information provided by brokers enables institutional food service 
professionals to know which manufacturers the broker represents, which 
States the broker serves, and contacts at the brokerage firm. All 
registrants on the USDA Food Connect Web site will be re-directed to 
the USDA eAuthentication Web site to register their Level 1 Access (OMB 
No. 0503-0014). Each new user must create their own login ID and 
password, to meet the eAuthentication requirements.
    The USDA Food Connect Web site has not had any changes since this 
information collection was approved December 30, 2007. Prior to 
launching the USDA Food Connect Web site in 2004, the food 
manufacturers requested changes to streamline the data entry process. 
These changes were made and the Web site was redeployed October 2006. 
The changes to the Web site provide processors and distributors with 
three methods to load product data to the USDA Food Connect Web site. 
Since

[[Page 29304]]

deploying the Web site October 2006, the new methods for entering date 
has dramatically reduced the actual number of responses and burden 
hours: Total actual responses reduced from an estimate of 1,845 to 374; 
total burden estimated hours from 292 hours to 53 hours annually. 
Processors and distributors may continue to enter products one product 
at a time, but now have the opportunity to download their product 
information from existing product databases and use a template which 
they complete and download to the USDA Food Connect Web site.
    Estimating Burden: The estimated total burden for revision of a 
currently approved information collection for the USDA Food Connect Web 
site once USDA eAuthentication Web site registration is completed is as 
follows:
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.14 hours per response.
    Respondents: Institutional food service professionals (public and 
private schools, the military, Veterans Administration facilities, 
Native American facilities, health care facilities, colleges and 
universities, prisons, child care facilities, and facilities for needy 
families), processors, distributors, brokers, and associations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 275 (188 institutional food 
service professionals, 37 processors, 7 distributors, 40 brokers, and 3 
associations).
    Estimated Number of Responses: 388.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.41.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 53 hours
    New registration submissions, for the USDA Food Connect Web site, 
are completed as follows:
    (1) Institutional Food Service Professional registration 
submission. Institutional food service professionals (public and 
private schools, the military, Veterans Administration facilities, 
Native American facilities, health care facilities, colleges and 
universities, prisons, child care facilities and facilities for needy 
families) use this registration submission to create their user profile 
on the USDA Food Connect Web site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 7 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Institutional food service professionals (public and 
private schools, the military, Veterans Administration facilities, 
Native American facilities, health care facilities, colleges and 
universities, prisons, child care facilities and facilities for needy 
families).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 188.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 188.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents only 
complete the registration once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 21 hours.
    (2) Processors registration submission. Processors use this 
registration submission to register their companies on the USDA Food 
Connect Web site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 9 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Processors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 37.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 37.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents only 
complete the registration once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 6 hours.
    (3) Processors Add a Plant and Request an Audit registration 
submission. Processors use this submission to register the plants in 
which they manufacture their products on the USDA Food Connect Web 
site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 8 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Processors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 37.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 37.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent 
completes this submission once for each plant they register.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 5 hours.
    (4) Processors Add a New Product registration submission (A Single 
Product). Processors use this registration submission to register their 
products manufactured from USDA supplied commodities and their 
commercial food products, on the USDA Food Connect Web site using this 
method. Processors may include additional product information including 
but not limited to: Ingredients, product description, preparation and 
cooking instructions, nutrients, packaging data, and product fact sheet 
link.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 16 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Processors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 2.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 10. Each respondent 
completes this submission once for each product they register.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 5 hours.
    (5) Processors Add a New Product registration submission (AFS 
Technologies, Inc.). Processors use this registration submission to 
register their products manufactured from USDA supplied commodities and 
their commercial food products, on the USDA Food Connect Web site using 
this method. Processors may include additional product information 
including but not limited to: Ingredients, product description, 
preparation and cooking instructions, nutrients, packaging data, and 
product fact sheet link.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 2 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Processors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 5.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 5.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent that 
uses AFS Technologies, Inc., Food Profile database to register their 
products completes this submission once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.15 hours.
    (6) Processors Add a New Product registration submission (Excel 
spreadsheet). Processors use this registration submission to register 
their products manufactured from USDA supplied commodities and their 
commercial food products, on the USDA Food Connect Web site using this 
method. Processors may include additional product information including 
but not limited to: Ingredients, product description, preparation and 
cooking instructions, nutrients, packaging data, and product fact sheet 
link.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Processors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 30.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 30.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent that 
uses the Excel spreadsheet to register their products completes this 
submission once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 4 hours.
    (7) Distributors registration submission. Distributors use this 
registration submission to register their food service distribution 
companies on the USDA Food Connect Web site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information

[[Page 29305]]

is estimated to average 9 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Distributors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 7.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents only 
complete the registration once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1 hour.
    (8) Distributors Add a Warehouse and Request an Audit registration 
submission. Distributors use this submission to register the warehouses 
in which they store the products they list on the USDA Food Connect Web 
site. This page is currently inactive due to technical problems.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 8 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Distributors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 7.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent 
completes this submission once for each warehouse they register.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1 hour.
    (9) Distributors Add a New Product registration submission (A 
Single Product). Distributors use this registration submission to 
register their branded commercial food products on the USDA Food 
Connect Web site using this method. Distributors may include additional 
product information including but not limited to: Ingredients, product 
description, preparation and cooking instructions, nutrients, package 
and packaging data, and product fact sheet link. This page is currently 
inactive due to technical problems.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 16 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Distributors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 5.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent 
completes this submission once for each product they register.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1 hour.
    (10) Distributors Add a New Product registration submission (AFS 
Technologies, Inc.). Distributors use this registration submission to 
register their branded commercial food products on the USDA Food 
Connect Web site using this method. Distributors may include additional 
product information including but not limited to: Ingredients, product 
description, preparation and cooking instructions, nutrients, package 
and packaging data, and product fact sheet link. This page is currently 
inactive due to technical problems.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 2 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Distributors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent that 
uses the AFS Technologies, Inc., Food Profile database to register 
their products completes this submission once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1 hour.
    (11) Distributors Add a New Product registration submission (Excel 
spreadsheet). Distributors use this registration submission to register 
their branded commercial food products on the USDA Food Connect Web 
site using this method. Distributors may include additional product 
information including but not limited to: Ingredients, product 
description, preparation and cooking instructions, nutrients, package 
and packaging data, and product fact sheet link. This page is currently 
inactive due to technical problems.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Distributors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 4.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Each respondent that 
uses the Excel spreadsheet to register their products completes this 
submission once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1 hour.
    (12) Brokers registration submission. Brokers use this registration 
submission to register the brokerage and the companies they represent 
on the USDA Food Connect Web site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 16 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Brokers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 40.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 40.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents only 
complete the registration once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 6 hours.
    (13) Brokers Add a Branch registration submission. Brokers use this 
submission to register any branches for the brokerage on the USDA Food 
Connect Web site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 9 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Brokers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 3. Respondents only 
complete this submission when they have branch offices; if so, they 
complete one for each branch office.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.45 hours.
    (14) Association registration submission. Associations in the food 
service arena use this registration submission to create their user 
profile on the USDA Food Connect Web site.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 7 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Associations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 3.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents only 
complete the registration once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.33 hours.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. Comments may be sent to Lynne E. 
Yedinak, Process Products Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, 
Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 
0247, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-0247, 
telephone: (202) 720-9939 and Fax: (202) 690-1527; or Internet: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received will be available for public 
inspection in the above office during regular business hours at the 
same address or can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request

[[Page 29306]]

for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: May 19, 2010.
David R. Shipman,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-12473 Filed 5-24-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
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