UNSPSC 50301502: Ambrosia apples

The variety of apples known as ambrosia apples

UNSPSC 50301502 Ambrosia apples, a Commodity code, represents a narrow product line within school nutrition and institutional food service procurement. State and local education agencies—primarily school districts across multiple states—solicit fresh produce including Ambrosia apples under broader food service contracts that encompass dozens of produce line items. Recent solicitations show school nutrition programs buying apples as part of comprehensive produce bids rather than as standalone single-item procurements; when Ambrosia appears by name, it sits alongside Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, and Jazz varieties within itemized produce schedules. Issuing bodies are predominantly school nutrition programs within county and independent school districts, with occasional activity from child care food programs and Head Start agencies. The mix includes mid-sized districts (serving 10,000–20,000+ students) and consortial cooperatives aggregating dozens of school systems into unified produce buys, suggesting centralized procurement infrastructure at the district level.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, and California. Hancock County Board of Education (Georgia) posted a fresh produce IFB in June 2026 covering over 200 line items including multiple apple varieties with Ambrosia specified at multi-case quantities; the McAllen Independent School District (Texas) RFP for fresh produce posted in March 2026 names apple varieties without isolating Ambrosia; the GEC Buying Cooperative (Georgia), representing 30 school districts across two geographic areas, solicited fresh produce in February 2026 with approximately 70 line items. Smaller single-district bids appear regularly—Bryan County Schools (Georgia) in April 2026 estimated approximately 1,024 cases of mixed apples, Glynn County Board of Education (Georgia) in March 2026 specified gold and red apples in bulk case quantities, and Dougherty County Board of Education (Georgia) in May 2026 included apples in a 40-item produce bid. Contracts typically run July through June (fiscal year aligned), with RFPs and ITBs predominating over RFQs, response windows of 2–6 weeks standard, and awards anticipated 60 days post–bid opening. Evaluation criteria weight price heavily (30–50 points) alongside delivery reliability, product quality, and compliance with Buy American and HACCP requirements; pricing is nearly always firm fixed for the initial 12-month term with escalation tied to USDA market indices after that baseline period.