UNSPSC 50131801: Natural cheese

UNSPSC 50131801 Natural cheese, a Commodity code, encompasses shelf-stable cheese products, sliced cheese, shredded cheese blends, and cheese ingredients that state and local governments procure primarily for school nutrition programs, institutional food service, and park concession operations. Recent solicitations show school districts and state agencies buying individually wrapped cheese sticks for child nutrition programs, sliced low-sodium cheese for correctional facilities and state-supported living centers, shredded blend cheese for institutional kitchens, and fresh cheese as a commodity ingredient for broader food service contracts. State and local issuing bodies soliciting under this code include school districts (New Haven Public Schools, Pinellas County School District, Early County Board of Education, Bridgeport Board of Education), state agencies (Oregon Department of Corrections, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Veterans Home, State of Georgia), counties (Collier County), and municipal parks departments. School districts and state correctional or institutional care agencies dominate recent activity.

Geographic concentration spans Oregon, Texas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and Georgia, with Oregon Department of Corrections and Texas state agencies (HHSC, TDCJ) posting multiple cheese solicitations in recent months. Representative recent opportunities include the Oregon Department of Corrections issuing ITB S2910000017803 in August 2026 for 120,000 pounds of shredded blend cheese at approximately $1.10 per pound historical pricing, requiring delivery to Salem with Oregon-resident and Oregon-fabricated preferences; the City of New Haven and Board of Education posting RFP 2027RFP403 on October 7, 2026 (proposals due October 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM) for 80,000 individually wrapped cheese stick portions to supply the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program for the 2026–2027 school year with mandatory pre-proposal meeting on October 14, 2026; the Texas Health and Human Services Commission issuing IFB HHS0017338 in July 2026 with estimated annual volume of approximately $9 million for frozen cheese products to serve state hospitals and supported living centers statewide; and Collier County Parks and Recreation Division posting ITN 258360 on October 8, 2026 (proposals due March 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. EST) for food concession services at North Collier Regional Park with a 10-point local-vendor preference for Collier or Lee County businesses. Most solicitations require firm fixed pricing, compliance with FDA and USDA food regulations, HACCP certification, liability insurance, and delivery to multiple facilities or distribution points.