UNSPSC 50301513: Costard apples

The variety of apples known as costard apples

UNSPSC 50301513 Costard apples is a Commodity code that describes fresh apple procurement for institutional food service. State and local governments soliciting under this code are acquiring fresh produce — primarily apples and other fresh fruits and vegetables — for school nutrition programs, correctional facilities, mental health centers, senior services, child care programs, and regional parks. Recent opportunities show procurement officers treating the code broadly to cover general fresh-produce supply contracts rather than costard apples specifically; the actual buying encompasses mixed fresh-fruit-and-vegetable programs serving institutional cafeterias, detention facilities, and community feeding programs. School districts and state departments of corrections and mental health dominate the recent solicitation activity, with regional purchasing concentrated in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. Representative recent opportunities include the Texas Department of Criminal Justice soliciting fresh fruit and vegetable supply to its Snyder Food Warehouse and Palestine facility (RFx IW267420 and IW267376, responses due October 14 and October 19, 2026 respectively), the Dougherty County Board of Education School Nutrition Program requesting sealed bids for 40 fresh-produce line items including apples, bananas, broccoli, and carrots to supply 24 school sites (bids due June 16, 2026), and the Illinois Department of Mental Health's Madden Mental Health Center seeking weekly fresh-fruit-and-vegetable delivery under small purchase procurement (proposals due August 14, 2026).

School districts represent the largest buyer segment, with recent activity from Madison Metropolitan School District (petite bananas and fresh fruit-and-vegetable snacks under RFBs 4162 and 4163, bids due July 29, 2026; estimated annual value $78,000 for bananas alone), Hancock County Board of Education (over 200 fresh-produce line items, bids due June 26, 2026), Bryan County Schools (comprehensive fresh-produce bid, bids due May 27, 2026), and DeSoto County School District (fresh produce for 41 school sites, bids due June 22, 2026). State correctional and mental health systems are active repeat buyers — the Texas Department of Criminal Justice posted three separate fresh-produce solicitations in recent weeks for different facility food warehouses, and the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Illinois Department of Corrections each issued procurement notices for institutional dining service. Non-school entities include Collier County Board of County Commissioners (food services at North Collier Regional Park and concession facilities, ITN due March 6, 2025), the City of San Antonio Department of Human Services (produce market operation at 15 senior center sites, RFP due May 27, 2026), and Head Start of Greater Dallas (approximately 32,409 cases of frozen foods, produce, and meat products for child care, IFB due June 24, 2026). Geographic activity clusters in the Southeast (Georgia, with recent bids from Hancock County, Bartow County, Bryan County, Dougherty County, and Early County school systems), Texas (TDCJ, City of Edinburg, Head Start of Greater Dallas), Illinois (state mental health and corrections), the Upper Midwest (Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin), and Connecticut (City of Bridgeport). Buy American requirements and prevailing-wage compliance appear frequently in school nutrition solicitations; many school districts impose local-sourcing or geographic-proximity filters (Wisconsin USDA Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program procurements require produce within 400 miles; Georgia procurements emphasize local farm sourcing). Contract values range widely from $78,000 annually (Madison's petite banana contract) to estimated $969,460.94 (Head Start of Greater Dallas grocery procurement covering multiple years). The code shows active procurement momentum across institutional food service, with strong school nutrition program demand and recurring state-agency buying patterns.