UNSPSC 50307026: Prickly pears

The type of fruit known as prickly pears

UNSPSC 50307026 Prickly pears, a Commodity code, represents a narrow slice of the fresh produce market that state and local governments procure through school nutrition programs, child care food services, and senior services. Recent solicitations show prickly pears are rarely tagged or explicitly listed in state and local procurement; instead, the code's activity appears embedded within broader fresh produce categories that school districts and food service agencies are sourcing. The work involves supply, delivery, and temperature-controlled logistics of fresh produce items to multiple institutional locations, typically on a weekly basis, often with strict ripeness, quality, and food safety compliance tied to USDA, CACFP, or FFVP standards.

State and local procurement under fresh produce codes (within which prickly pears would fall) draws issuing bodies primarily from school nutrition programs, child care agencies, and special-purpose food service authorities across multiple states. School districts dominate recent activity, with superintendents' offices and food and nutrition departments in Georgia (Glynn County Board of Education, Bulloch County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Liberty County, Savannah-Chatham County, Hancock County, and Henry County Schools), Texas (McAllen Independent School District, Austin Independent School District), Wisconsin (Madison Metropolitan School District), Florida (Hillsborough County Public Schools), Connecticut (Meriden Public Schools and City of Bridgeport Board of Education), Oregon (Central Point School District), Mississippi (DeSoto County School District), and California (County of Santa Clara) issuing invitations for bids and requests for proposals on produce categories. Non-school issuers include child and adult care food program operators (City of Edinburg, Texas; Head Start of Greater Dallas), senior services divisions (City of San Antonio Department of Human Services), and cooperative purchasing vehicles serving multiple school districts (GEC Buying Cooperative covering 30 Georgia school districts; Douglas County School System acting as fiscal agent). Geographic concentration appears strongest in the South—particularly Georgia and Texas—though activity spans the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Northeast. Representative recent opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District Food & Nutrition (RFB 4162 for petite bananas, 70–90 cases weekly, response due July 29, 2026); Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa (RFP 26RFP034 for fresh produce and a la carte beverages, estimated annual budget $600,000, response due March 11, 2026); GEC Buying Cooperative (RFP SN 26-004 serving 30 Georgia school districts, estimated combined annual spending $5.5 million, response due March 4, 2026); and Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (Bid 26-34 for 72 fresh produce items including pre-cut and processed options, response due April 23, 2026). Prickly pears, if solicited at all, would be absorbed within these line-item procurements, but no posted opportunities explicitly name prickly pears as a line item or focus, limiting immediate pursuit signals for vendors specializing in this commodity alone.