UNSPSC 50404200: Kale

The type of vegetable known as kale

UNSPSC 50404200 Kale is a Class code covering fresh leafy greens and related produce items that state and local governments procure primarily through school nutrition programs, child care food service operations, and institutional dining. State and local solicitations under this code center on fresh produce delivery to support federal meal reimbursement programs—the USDA National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program. School districts dominate the issuing-body mix, accounting for the vast majority of recent activity; independent school districts, county school systems, and large urban district consolidations (such as Northside ISD in San Antonio and Austin ISD) appear multiple times. State departments of criminal justice and Head Start agencies round out the field. Geographic concentration is heavy in Georgia (Bartow County Schools, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Douglas County, Henry County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Savannah-Chatham County, and Glynn County school systems all posted solicitations within the recent window), with secondary clusters in Texas and Florida. The code shows consistent activity across a two-month window (late February through late April 2026) and into the summer months.

Representative recent opportunities include Bartow County School System's RFP 10-2026-019 for local fresh fruits and vegetables, posted May 21, 2026 with a June 22 response deadline, requiring produce sourced within 400 miles and emphasizing seasonal variety; Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed-bid procurement for 40 fresh produce line items across 24 school nutrition sites, posted May 19, 2026 with a June 16 response deadline; and Northside Independent School District's RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce delivery five days per week to all district campuses from August 2026 through May 2027, posted April 14, 2026 with a May 7 response deadline. Evaluation criteria typically weight price (30–50 percent), product quality and freshness (15–25 percent), delivery reliability and compliance (10–20 percent), and vendor qualifications and references (10–15 percent). Most contracts run a school year (July through June) with two to four optional one-year renewal periods. Locational preferences (Georgia-grown, Texas-grown, or items sourced within 200–400 miles of the buyer) appear in roughly half the recent solicitations, reflecting farm-to-school and local-procurement priorities. Prequalification requirements—HACCP certification, liability insurance ($500,000 to $2,000,000), workers' compensation coverage, E-Verify compliance, debarment status certification, and Buy American compliance—are standard across solicitations above $25,000.