Request to Conduct Exploratory Semi-Structured Interviews on Retail Food Loss under Generic Clearance for Survey Research Studies

Appendix E-2

Scheduling Email—Participant Identified for Non-FMI members or FMI Referral

Exploratory Semi-structured Interviews on Retail Food Loss

Agency: Economic Research Service

Contractor: RTI International

Appendix E-2: Scheduling Email—Participant Identified for Non-FMI Members or FMI Referral

Hello, [If FMI referral: NAME at FMI suggested I contact you.]

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (USDA, ERS), RTI International is conducting interviews with food retail companies to help inform the design of a potential national study on retail-level food loss. Thank you for agreeing to participate in an interview.

For these interviews we would like to interview the person or persons in your company who is most knowledgeable about how your company tracks food loss and maintains electronic data on product shipments and sales. Please email me if you think someone else in your company should participate in the interview and I will contact them instead.

Taking part in the interview will take about 2 hours—90 minutes for the interview itself and about 30 minutes of prep time before the interview. Participation is voluntary and confidential. We have the following days/times available:

• Day, Date: Time

• Day, Date: Time

• Day, Date: Time

Please let me know what data/time works best for you and I will send you an email invitation with the log-on information. Please feel free to forward the invitation to other individuals from your company if they would like to participate in the interview and I will contact them and provide additional information about the study.

Attached is the list of interview questions and a summary of the types of data we would like to collect in a national study. This information is provided for informational purposes. You do NOT need to answer the questions before the interview. Please read the attached disclaimer document and the informed consent form. Please click the link below to sign the informed consent form before the scheduled interview.

[Respondents will click on a live link to electronically sign Attachment F2]

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best regards,

Name
[Study Coordinator name]
USDA ERS Retail-Level Food Loss Study
[email address, phone number]

NOTIFICATION TO RESPONDENT OF ESTIMATED BURDEN: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 127 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is #0536-0073. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Linda Kantor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (linda.kantor@usda.gov).