UNSPSC 50404609: Ruby romaine lettuce

The variety of lettuce known as ruby romaine lettuce

UNSPSC 50404609 Ruby romaine lettuce (Commodity) appears in recent state and local procurement primarily as a line item within larger fresh produce contracts rather than as a standalone solicitation. State and local governments buy fresh produce—including romaine and other leafy greens—predominantly to supply institutional food service operations at correctional facilities, state-supported living centers, mental health centers, school districts, and senior service programs. Recent solicitations show produce contracts structured around weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of mixed fresh vegetables and fruits meeting USDA quality standards, with vendors required to provide HACCP-compliant sourcing, traceability documentation by farm of origin, and cold-chain management. Issuing bodies include Texas Health and Human Services Commission (state facilities), Texas Department of Criminal Justice (correctional food warehouses), Illinois Department of Corrections and Department of Mental Health (state institutional food service), school districts in Georgia, Wisconsin, and Texas, county governments, and municipal senior services divisions. The mix spans institutional buyers (state supported living centers, correctional facilities, mental health centers) alongside education and aging-services procurement offices.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Illinois, with Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Texas Health and Human Services Commission issuing the highest volume of produce solicitations. Representative recent opportunities include the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's IFB HHS0018082 for consumable foods at Lufkin State Supported Living Center (IFB, responses due October 23, 2026), which included lettuce and other produce among 22 line items; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's fresh fruit and vegetable solicitations IW267420 (Snyder Food Warehouse, responses due October 14, 2026) and IW267411 (Wynne Food Warehouse, responses due October 14, 2026); the Illinois Department of Corrections' fresh produce RFQ for Joliet Treatment Center (small business set-aside, responses due September 3, 2026) specifying bag lettuce with minimum two-week expiration from receipt; and the Dougherty County Board of Education's fresh produce IFB (responses due June 16, 2026) for 24 school nutrition sites covering 40 produce line items. Produce is typically procured under existing cooperative or statewide purchasing vehicles, with contracts ranging from one to three years and emphasizing firm, fixed F.O.B. Destination pricing that includes delivery.