UNSPSC 50301540: Howgate wonder apples

The variety of apples known as howgate wonder apples

UNSPSC 50301540 Howgate wonder apples is a Commodity code that names a specific produce item, but recent state and local solicitations show the code is being applied across a much broader scope of fresh fruit and vegetable procurement, ranging from single-item produce contracts to multi-category food service supply agreements. The actual buying under this code spans institutional food service for correctional facilities, mental health centers, school districts, senior services, child care programs, and regional parks — with vendors supplying everything from bananas and apples to full produce line items (carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and specialty fruits) alongside paper goods, beverages, and janitorial supplies in some cases. Issuing bodies include state departments of criminal justice and mental health, county school nutrition programs, municipal parks and recreation divisions, regional health coalitions, and city human services departments. Most solicitations are RFPs, RFQs, or IFBs with fixed response deadlines and firm pricing requirements; many impose Buy American provisions (51% domestic agricultural content) or local-sourcing mandates (produce within 400 miles), and several carry set-asides or preference programs for small businesses, minority-owned vendors, or woman-owned enterprises. Payment terms typically run Net 30 to Net 45 days, with contracts spanning one fiscal year and renewable for one to four additional years by mutual agreement.

Activity concentrates in the South and Midwest, with standout recent volume from Georgia (Dougherty County, Bryan County, Bartow County, and Early County school systems; Hancock County Board of Education; and the State of Georgia general procurement), Texas (Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities in Palestine, Snyder, and Huntsville; City of Edinburg CACFP program; Head Start of Greater Dallas), Illinois (Department of Corrections Joliet Treatment Center; Department of Mental Health Madden Mental Health Center), and a scattering of Midwestern and Northeast jurisdictions (Madison Metropolitan School District, Wisconsin; City of Bridgeport, Connecticut; DeSoto County, Mississippi; Marion Health Care Coalition). Representative recent opportunities include the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's fresh fruit and vegetable procurement for the Wynne Food Warehouse and Palestine facility (IFBs with October 14 and October 19, 2026 response dates, respectively); Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed-bid fresh produce contract for 24 school nutrition sites (bid due June 16, 2026); Head Start of Greater Dallas' procurement of approximately 32,409 cases of frozen foods, produce, and meat products under IFB 26-GP (bids due June 24, 2026, with estimated value $969,460.94); Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB for petite bananas (70–90 cases weekly, annual value $78,000, due July 29, 2026) and fresh fruit and vegetable snacks (5,900 servings weekly under USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, due July 29, 2026); and Collier County's ITN for food services at North Collier Regional Park (due March 6, 2025, with local-vendor preference worth 10 evaluation points).