UNSPSC 50404609: Ruby romaine lettuce

The variety of lettuce known as ruby romaine lettuce

UNSPSC 50404609 Ruby romaine lettuce, a Commodity code, represents a narrow slice of the fresh produce that state and local governments procure for child nutrition, senior services, and institutional food service programs. State and local buyers source lettuce and other fresh vegetables through school district nutrition programs, corrections and criminal justice food service operations, and specialized nutrition initiatives such as the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Recent solicitations show school nutrition programs dominating the activity: Madison Metropolitan School District sought ready-to-eat fresh produce snacks for elementary students; Bartow County Schools requested local fresh fruits and vegetables for its 2026-2027 school year; and Dougherty County Board of Education, Glynn County Board of Education, and multiple other Georgia school districts all included lettuce as a line item in comprehensive produce bids. Beyond schools, institutional buyers such as the Texas Department of Criminal Justice procure produce for inmate food service, Head Start programs source produce under federal Child and Adult Care Food Program requirements, and city senior services divisions operate produce markets at senior centers.

The issuing-body mix reflects heavy concentration in school district nutrition programs across Georgia, Texas, Florida, Missouri, and Connecticut, with secondary activity from state corrections departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice), early childhood programs (Head Start of Greater Dallas), and municipal senior services (City of San Antonio). Georgia school districts particularly dominate recent activity, with bids or RFPs from Bartow County, Dougherty County, Glynn County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Savannah-Chatham County, Henry County, and Douglas County posted between February and July 2026. Texas school districts (Northside Independent School District, Austin Independent School District, McAllen Independent School District) and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice also appear multiple times. Representative opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks (bids due July 29, 2026) emphasizing local sourcing within 400 miles and organic preference discounts; Bartow County Schools' RFP 10-2026-019 for local fresh produce requiring sourcing within 400 miles (proposals due June 22, 2026); Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed bid for 40 fresh produce line items including lettuce, with bids due June 16, 2026; and Douglas County School System's cooperative RFP SN 26-004 serving 30 school districts across Georgia with estimated annual spending of approximately $5.5 million combined for both geographic areas (proposals due March 4, 2026). The geographic concentration in Georgia and Texas reflects both the size of these states' school district networks and recent posting activity, though institutional produce procurement spans Florida (Hillsborough County Public Schools, Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut), Missouri (Rockwood R-VI School District), and multiple other states.