UNSPSC 50404501: Beluga lentils

The variety of lentils known as beluga lentils

UNSPSC 50404501 Beluga lentils is a Commodity code, but the recent state and local opportunities tagged under it do not reflect actual beluga lentil procurement. Instead, the opportunities show a robust market for fresh produce supply to school districts, child care programs, and state institutional food service operations across multiple states—ranging from fresh fruit and vegetable snacks under USDA child nutrition programs to comprehensive grocery and produce contracts for K–12 nutrition services.

School districts dominate the issuing-body mix, with sealed-bid and RFP procurements from independent and county school systems in Georgia, Texas, Florida, Missouri, and Connecticut. State agencies, particularly the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Georgia state procurement offices, also solicit fresh produce regularly for institutional meal programs and canning operations. The activity spans elementary-to-secondary nutrition services, Head Start and child care food programs (CACFP), and specialized federal initiatives such as the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). Representative recent opportunities include the Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 (posted July 8, 2026, due July 29) for approximately 5,900 weekly servings of ready-to-eat fresh fruit and vegetable snacks sourced within 400 miles of Wisconsin; Head Start of Greater Dallas IFB 26-GP (posted June 24) for roughly 32,409 cases of frozen foods, produce, and meat products totaling $969,460.94; and Northside Independent School District's RFP 2026-048 (posted April 14, due May 7) for fresh produce delivery to 117 campuses across the San Antonio area, with prices anchored to USDA Specialty Crops Terminal Markets reports. Georgia school districts—including Bartow County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Glynn County, Douglas County (via GEC Buying Cooperative), and Bulloch County—account for significant procurement activity, with contract periods typically July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and estimated values ranging from $1.1 million to $4.4 million for multi-district cooperatives. Geographic concentration is heaviest in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida, Missouri, and Connecticut. Evaluation criteria consistently weight cost (30–50 percent), product quality and compliance (15–30 percent), service delivery and vendor qualifications (10–25 percent), and local or domestic sourcing preferences (5–15 percent when stated). Most procurements allow multiple vendor awards on a line-item basis, require HACCP certification, insurance minimums of $500,000–$2 million, and weekly or twice-weekly delivery windows; several include geographic preference for locally grown or Texas-sourced produce where cost and quality are equivalent.