UNSPSC 50305416: Early pears

The variety of pears known as early pears

UNSPSC 50305416 Early pears is a Commodity code that captures state and local government procurement of fresh pears for institutional meal programs, primarily child nutrition and senior services. The code sees active demand across school districts, child care programs, and municipal senior centers that procure fresh produce for CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program), USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and National School Lunch Program compliance. Issuing bodies are predominantly school nutrition departments within independent school districts and regional school systems, supplemented by city and county departments of human services managing senior nutrition initiatives and child care food programs. The work involves sourcing fresh pears meeting USDA quality and food-safety standards, complying with Buy American requirements where applicable, maintaining cold-chain logistics, and delivering in case quantities to institutional kitchen facilities on fixed weekly or multiple-weekly schedules.

Recent opportunities tagged with this code show strong activity across the South and Midwest, particularly in Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. Representative procurements include the Madison Metropolitan School District Food & Nutrition Department's RFB 4162 for petite bananas (a related fresh-fruit commodity) with bids due July 29, 2026, estimated annual value of $78,000; Hancock County Board of Education's IFB for fresh produce including multiple apple varieties, berries, and citrus for 2026–27 with bids due June 26, 2026; and the GEC Buying Cooperative RFP SN 26-004 for fresh produce and eggs across 30 Georgia school districts, covering approximately $5.5 million annually across two geographic areas with proposals due March 4, 2026. Evaluation criteria across these opportunities weight cost heavily (30–50 points), with significant emphasis on product quality, vendor qualifications and experience, delivery reliability, and compliance with federal food-safety and traceability requirements. Local-sourcing preferences appear in multiple solicitations, with some jurisdictions restricting produce to within 50–400 miles of delivery points. Set-asides and preferences vary by issuing body; some solicitations encourage small-business and minority-owned participation without formal restriction, while others apply geographic or diverse-vendor scoring incentives. Price remains firm for the contract term in most awards, with annual or semi-annual escalation clauses tied to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service or Department of Labor indices where major market changes occur.