UNSPSC 50302900: Dates

The oblong edible fruit of a palm (phoenix dactylifera)

UNSPSC 50302900 Dates is a Class code that names fresh produce procurement across institutional food service in state and local government — fruit and vegetable supply and delivery to correctional facilities, mental health centers, school districts, senior centers, parks departments, and child care programs. The work spans routine commodity bidding for specific items (bananas, apples, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, berries, and root vegetables) and broader food-service contracts bundling fresh produce alongside proteins, dairy, paper goods, and janitorial supplies. Issuing bodies include state departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Department of Corrections and Mental Health, Georgia Department), county school boards and school districts across multiple states, county parks and human services departments, and child care consortiums and Head Start agencies. School nutrition programs dominate recent activity, with district after district issuing line-item RFBs (Requests for Bids) or IFBs for produce items, typically tied to National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program funding. Correctional and mental health facilities post regular solicitations for produce warehouse supply. County and city parks departments and senior services divisions solicit on a smaller scale. Buy American provisions (51 percent domestic content) appear consistently in school and state institutional contracts. Local-vendor preferences and geographic sourcing requirements (produce within 400 miles of the buyer) are standard in school and regional requests. Set-asides for small business, minority-owned, and woman-owned enterprises appear in several school and municipal solicitations but are not uniform across jurisdictions.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice posted multiple RFPs for fresh fruit and vegetable delivery to food warehouses in Palestine, Snyder, and Huntsville in September and October 2026, with response dates of October 14 and October 19, 2026. Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin issued two RFBs in July 2026 — one for petite bananas (estimated $78,000 annual value, bids due July 29) and one for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks sourced within Wisconsin and 400 miles of Madison (bids due July 29, contingent on federal grant approval). Georgia school districts (Hancock County, Bartow County, Bryan County, Dougherty County, Early County) and DeSoto County Schools in Mississippi all posted produce bids in May and June 2026 for the 2026-2027 school year, with response dates ranging from May 22 through June 26, 2026. The Illinois Department of Mental Health's Madden Mental Health Center solicited fresh produce under small purchase procurement with an August 14, 2026 due date. The Bridgeport Board of Education in Connecticut issued a grocery-items bid (covering produce alongside dairy, proteins, and prepared foods) due June 30, 2026, requiring Buy American compliance and compliance with school nutrition standards. Head Start of Greater Dallas solicited primary, secondary, and tertiary grocery suppliers on an estimated $969,460.94 contract with bids due June 24, 2026. The City of San Antonio's Senior Services Division posted an RFP for produce-market operations at senior centers due May 27, 2026.