UNSPSC 50305100: Papayas

Succulent yellow fruit of a large plant (carica papaya) of the family caricaceae that is considered a tree, though its palmlike trunk, up to 8 m (26 feet) tall, is not as woody as the designation generally implies. Also called papaw or pawpaw

UNSPSC 50305100 Papayas is a Class code. State and local governments buy papayas primarily through institutional food service procurement—school nutrition programs, child and adult care food programs (CACFP), senior services, and correctional facilities. The code sits within a broader fresh-produce ecosystem where papayas appear as line items in comprehensive fruit-and-vegetable solicitations rather than as standalone specialty produce contracts. Recent opportunities show papayas specified alongside apples, bananas, berries, carrots, citrus, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes in large institutional meal programs. Issuing bodies span school districts (primary), CACFP operators, county boards of education, and municipal social services—a mix dominated by K–12 nutrition programs and child care food authorities. These buyers solicit annually on fixed contract cycles aligned to fiscal and school years, typically with 30-to-90-day response windows and awards made to single or multiple vendors based on line-item pricing or total-cost responsiveness.

Geographic activity clusters heavily in the Southeast—Georgia (Bulloch County, Bryan County, Dougherty County, Glynn County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Savannah-Chatham County school systems), Texas (McAllen, Austin, and Edinburg school districts and Head Start operators), Florida (Hillsborough County Public Schools), and scattered activity across Connecticut, Mississippi, Utah, Oregon, and California. The Hancock County and Bulloch County school districts in Georgia each name papayas explicitly in fresh-produce specifications; Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut, Central Point School District in Oregon, and the GEC Buying Cooperative serving 30 Georgia districts all solicit comprehensive produce line items where papayas are enumerated. Most opportunities cite USDA Buy American requirements (51% domestic agricultural content minimum), HACCP plan compliance, and delivery to central warehouses and individual school sites on weekly or bi-weekly cycles. Cost is typically weighted at 30–50% of evaluation score, with quality, delivery reliability, and vendor qualifications following. No current opportunities report papayas as a sole-source line item or specialty procurement—papaya demand emerges within larger fresh-produce awards where pricing is consolidated across 60–72 line items and volumes fluctuate by school calendar and menu planning.