UNSPSC 50302516: Duke cherries

The variety of cherries known as duke cherries

UNSPSC 50302516 Duke cherries is a Commodity code that encompasses the supply and delivery of fresh produce — primarily fruits and vegetables in bulk and portion-controlled formats — to state agencies, county governments, school districts, and special-purpose organizations. State and local governments purchase under this code to stock institutional food services, school nutrition programs, corrections and mental health facilities, senior services, and child care programs. The work ranges from bi-weekly or weekly bulk deliveries of produce to central warehouses and production centers to daily delivery of ready-to-eat produce portions to dispersed school sites and senior centers. Issuing bodies include state departments of corrections and mental health, county school districts and boards of education, city school systems, county human services and senior services divisions, and special-purpose organizations such as Head Start agencies and health care coalitions. Texas, Illinois, Georgia, and Wisconsin show the strongest recent procurement activity, with multiple solicitations posted from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Department of Corrections, and several Georgia school districts.

Representative recent opportunities illustrate the scope. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice posted two solicitations for fresh fruit and vegetable delivery to prison food warehouses in Snyder and Huntsville, with responses due October 14, 2026. The Illinois Department of Mental Health's Madden Mental Health Center solicited weekly produce deliveries under a small purchase procurement with proposals due August 14, 2026. Madison Metropolitan School District issued separate bids for petite bananas (estimated annual value $78,000 for September 2026 through June 2027) and fresh fruit and vegetable snacks sourced within 400 miles and within Wisconsin (contract term September through November 2026 with up to two three-month extensions). DeSoto County School District in Mississippi requested bids on fresh produce distribution across 41 school sites on a bi-annual fixed-fee-plus-cost basis with weekly delivery, 97 percent service level, and a Buy American domestic-commodity requirement. Hancock County Board of Education in Georgia bid over 200 fresh produce line items across multiple apple varieties, berries, cruciferous and root vegetables, and specialty items, with delivery to three school locations. Most school-district solicitations apply Buy American or domestic-sourcing preferences, require HACCP plans, mandate standard liability insurance ($500,000 to $1,000,000), and offer evaluation criteria weighting cost at 30–40 percent with secondary weight on vendor qualifications, service capability, and for some jurisdictions, diverse-owned business status or local-vendor preferences.