UNSPSC 50401504: Green globe artichokes

The variety of artichokes known as green globe artichokes

UNSPSC 50401504 Green globe artichokes is a Commodity code that encompasses fresh produce—specifically globe artichokes—procured by state and local governments for school nutrition, institutional food service, and specialized feeding programs. Recent solicitations show state and local buyers purchasing artichokes as part of broader fresh produce contracts serving school lunch and breakfast programs, early-childhood nutrition initiatives (Head Start, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program), and institutional facilities including detention and correctional operations. The code sees use across school districts, state purchasing offices, and food service authorities that source produce for meal preparation and student consumption. While globe artichokes appear in integrated fresh-produce specifications rather than as standalone line items in most opportunities, they are included alongside carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and other staple vegetables in state and local nutrition procurement. Issuing bodies include large and mid-size school districts (Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin, Northside Independent School District in Texas, Austin Independent School District), state departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, State of Georgia), county school systems (Bartow County Schools, Dougherty County Board of Education, Muscogee County Schools, Bulloch County Schools, Liberty County Schools, Glynn County Schools), and regional cooperative purchasing vehicles (GEC Buying Cooperative serving 30 Georgia districts). A few solicitations appear to tag this code when the underlying procurement is broader produce or grocery categories; the code itself does not see high-volume or dedicated single-item opportunities in recent state and local activity.

Geographic activity clusters in Texas, Georgia, and Florida, where school districts issue recurring produce contracts with June-through-May bid cycles aligned to fiscal-year food service operations. Texas procurement appears most frequently, with TDCJ issuing separate bids for carrots, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes for canning and institutional use, and multiple school districts (NISD San Antonio, McAllen ISD, Austin ISD, Northside ISD) soliciting mixed fresh-produce supply. Georgia school districts dominate the frequency of recent opportunities—Bartow County Schools (RFP 10-2026-019, due June 22, 2026), Dougherty County Board of Education (sealed bids due June 16, 2026), Bulloch County Schools (IFP due May 4, 2026), Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (Bid 26-34, due April 23, 2026), and Liberty County Schools (sealed bids due April 29, 2026)—all seeking local or regional fresh-produce supply for the 2026-2027 school year. Representative recent procurement includes Meriden Public Schools (RFP 026-41, due February 25, 2026) requesting fresh produce and groceries with an estimated contract value of approximately $3,100,000 for 2026-2027; Northside Independent School District (RFP 2026-048, due May 7, 2026) seeking USDA Child Nutrition Reimbursable-compliant fresh produce for delivery to 117 campuses with pricing indexed to USDA Specialty Crops Terminal Markets Standard Reports; and Douglas County School System (RFP SN 26-004, due March 4, 2026) sourcing fresh produce and eggs through the GEC Buying Cooperative for 30 school districts across Georgia with estimated annual spending of $4.4 million for Area One and $1.1 million for Area Two. Activity is brisk through late spring 2026, with most bid windows closing April through June as districts finalize awards before the July 1, 2026 fiscal-year start.