UNSPSC 50311583: Organic starking apples

The variety of organic apples known as organic starking apples

UNSPSC 50311583 Organic starking apples is a Commodity code that nominally refers to a specific apple variety, but recent state and local solicitations show minimal activity directly aligned with this narrow specification. The code appears in the recent opportunities dataset only through incidental tagging—the vast majority of produce procurement by school districts, universities, and food service departments solicits broad fresh-produce categories (apples of multiple varieties, bananas, vegetables, berries, citrus, and other items as mixed line-item bundles) rather than organic starking apples as a discrete product line. School nutrition programs across Georgia, Texas, and Florida issue the highest volume of produce solicitations, typically through IFB, RFP, or RFQ notice types, with Madison Metropolitan School District, Hancock County Board of Education, Bulloch County School District, Liberty County Board of Education, Glynn County Board of Education, and Savannah-Chatham County Public School System posting multiple opportunities in the past four months. These districts procure fresh produce on annual contracts running July 1 through June 30, with estimated volumes ranging from $78,000 to $4.4 million depending on district size and scope. Evaluation typically weighs cost heavily (30–50 points), followed by product quality and vendor qualifications, with Buy American requirements, HACCP plans, food safety certifications, and insurance thresholds ($500,000 to $2,000,000 general liability) as standard compliance gates.

The geographic concentration is heaviest in Georgia, with secondary activity in Texas (Austin and McAllen independent school districts) and Florida (Hillsborough County). Recent solicitations mandate delivery to school locations on fixed weekly or biweekly schedules between early morning hours (typically 5:00–7:30 a.m.) and midday, with pricing structures anchored to USDA market indices, cost-plus fixed-fee models, or line-item unit pricing. Representative current opportunities include Douglas County School System's RFP SN 26-004 for fresh produce and eggs to 30 cooperating districts across two Georgia regions, with estimated annual spend of $5.5 million and proposals due March 4, 2026; Glynn County Board of Education's IFB 27-02 for approximately 60 fresh-produce line items delivered weekly to 16 school sites, bids due April 14, 2026; and Austin Independent School District's RFP 26RFP034 for fresh produce and beverages across multiple campuses, proposals due March 11, 2026. None of these solicitations specifically call for organic starking apples as a dedicated line item—they treat apples (often unnamed or listed by generic variety: Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Red, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp) as interchangeable within broader procurement frameworks. Vendors pursuing this code should recognize that the actual market opportunity lies in commodity fresh-produce supply contracts, not in a specialized organic apple niche.