UNSPSC 50401908: Cheltenham mono beets

The variety of beets known as cheltenham mono beets

UNSPSC 50401908 Cheltenham mono beets is a Commodity code that does not reflect the actual scope of state and local procurement activity in the recent opportunities dataset. The code nominally identifies a single narrow produce variety; in practice, state and local governments are procuring comprehensive fresh produce suites—fruits, vegetables, eggs, and prepared produce items—through school nutrition programs, senior services, criminal justice facilities, and child nutrition organizations. The recent opportunities span school districts (Madison Metropolitan, Northside Independent, Austin ISD, Douglas County, Savannah-Chatham), county boards of education (Glynn, Muscogee, Henry, Dougherty, Bulloch, Early, Bryan), state procurement agencies (Texas, Georgia), and special-purpose food service entities (Head Start of Greater Dallas, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Rockwood R-VI School District). Solicitation types are predominantly sealed bids and RFPs with response windows of two to four weeks. The work involves sourcing and delivering fresh produce weekly or twice weekly to school cafeterias, senior centers, correctional facilities, and child care programs, with vendors required to maintain HACCP plans, food safety certifications, refrigerated transport, traceability systems, and insurance coverage ranging from $500,000 to $2 million in general liability.

Geographic activity centers on Texas, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri, with the strongest concentration in Georgia school districts and Texas state agencies (TDCJ, Comptroller). Texas TDCJ has posted multiple commodity-specific IFBs (carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, cafeteria food products) with response dates in late March and early June 2026. Georgia school districts—including Dougherty, Glynn, Douglas, Henry, Bulloch, Bryan, Liberty, Muscogee, and Savannah-Chatham—collectively issued fresh-produce RFPs and IFBs with bid deadlines between late March and late May 2026, several emphasizing local sourcing within 200–400 miles. Recent representative solicitations include Northside Independent School District (San Antonio, RFP 2026-048, fresh produce for child nutrition, due May 7, 2026), Meriden Public Schools (Connecticut, RFP 026-41, commercial groceries and USDA Foods, contract value approximately $3.1 million, due February 25, 2026), Austin Independent School District (RFP 26RFP034, fresh produce and beverages, due March 11, 2026), and McAllen Independent School District (RFP 2026-1029, fresh produce for child nutrition, multiple vendor awards, due March 6, 2026). School nutrition programs dominate the pipeline, with produce typically priced on a per-pound or per-case basis and delivery required Monday through Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to individual school sites. Set-asides are rare; most opportunities are open to all qualified vendors meeting insurance, food safety, and experience thresholds, though several Texas and Georgia jurisdictions favor in-state or locally grown products when cost and quality are equal.