UNSPSC 50403612: Sugarhat endives

The variety of endives known as sugarhat endives

UNSPSC 50403612 Sugarhat endives is a Commodity code, but the recent state and local procurement activity under this code does not align with the produce variety it nominally describes. Instead, the opportunities posted show school districts, state departments, and child nutrition agencies soliciting fresh produce broadly—apples, carrots, potatoes, strawberries, lettuce, broccoli, and dozens of other items for school meal programs, institutional food service, and USDA-funded nutrition initiatives. The code appears to be a catch-all classification for produce procurement rather than a category reserved for endives specifically. State and local buyers are sourcing fresh produce across multiple vegetable and fruit categories, with deliveries to school nutrition warehouses and individual school sites, compliance with food safety standards (HACCP, traceability), and alignment with Buy American and domestic sourcing preferences where cost and quality permit.

The issuing bodies are predominantly school districts and county boards of education across Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Connecticut, along with state departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Georgia state procurement) and independent school districts in major urban areas. Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin, Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Austin Independent School District, and Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa are repeat participants. The geographic concentration is heaviest in Georgia and Texas, with additional activity in Florida, Missouri, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. Representative recent opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks (5,900 weekly servings for elementary students, bids due July 29, 2026, with a 5% preference for Wisconsin-certified diverse-owned vendors and a $0.20 per pound organic discount); Bartow County School System's RFP 10-2026-019 seeking local fresh fruits and vegetables from within 400 miles (bids due June 22, 2026, contract July 20, 2026 through June 30, 2027); Texas Department of Criminal Justice IFBs for bulk white potatoes (IW253099, June 23, 2026) and sweet potatoes for canning (IW253121, June 23, 2026); and Northside Independent School District's RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce delivery to 117 campuses five days per week (proposals due May 7, 2026, contract July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027). Evaluation typically weights cost at 35–50 percent, product quality and availability at 15–30 percent, delivery performance at 10–20 percent, and vendor qualifications or experience at 10–15 percent. Most contracts run a single school or fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) with optional renewal periods of one to four additional years. Institutional demand is steady and volume is substantial—school districts commonly seek 1,000+ cases of individual produce items annually, and statewide or multi-district cooperative procurements bundle dozens of school sites into single awards.