The FOIA is found in Title 5 of the United States Code, Section 552. FOIA was enacted in 1966 and gives any person the right to request access to almost any federal agency record, except those protected from disclosure by legal exemptions and exclusions (e.g., classified national security, business proprietary, personal privacy, and investigative documents.) How to Submit a FOIA Request
1.	Send a written request for the records directly to the USDA component responsible for the records sought. Where to Send Requests
2.	Describe the requested records clearly.
3.	Consider including time frames, names of authors and recipients, and subject matter in the description of the records requested.
4.	State your willingness to pay the fees associated with processing the request or seek a fee waiver.
5.	If you seek a fee waiver, address specifically the criteria articulated in Section 6 (a)(1) of 7 CFR Part 1, Appendix A.
6.	If you do not know and cannot determine which USDA component is responsible for the records you seek, you may address your request to the USDA FOIA Officer. Please know that failure to send your request to the responsible agency results in delay in proper receipt and processing of your request.

FOIA Electronic Reading Room

USDA maintains a FOIA Electronic Reading Room. This area contains reports, indexes, and records responsive to commonly-submitted FOIA requests. USDAs FOIA Annual Reports, showing statistical information on FOIA requests, are displayed on this page. The Electronic Reading Room is regularly updated with new information to meet public demand.

Implementation