UNSPSC 50404610: Baby red romaine lettuce

The variety of lettuce known as baby red romaine lettuce

UNSPSC 50404610 Baby red romaine lettuce is a Commodity code that covers fresh produce supplied to state and local public bodies, primarily school districts and institutional food service programs. State and local governments procure baby red romaine lettuce and related fresh vegetables as components of broader produce contracts serving child nutrition, senior nutrition, and institutional meal programs. The issuing bodies are predominantly school districts, regional school cooperatives, and state agencies operating food service operations. Representative recent solicitations include Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 for Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Snacks (due July 29, 2026), which seeks approximately 5,900 servings weekly of ready-to-eat produce delivered within 400 miles of Madison, Wisconsin, with a $0.20 per pound organic preference discount; Northside Independent School District's RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce (due May 7, 2026), serving 83 elementary, 21 middle, and 13 high schools across the San Antonio area with five-days-per-week delivery; and Bartow County School System's RFP 10-2026-019 (due June 22, 2026), requiring local produce sourced within 400 miles with monthly and seasonal availability documentation. A significant subset of procurement activity focuses on USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) compliance, which mandates fresh produce in ready-to-eat, pre-cut, and pre-packaged form with traceability by farm of origin and rigid shelf-life documentation.

Recent procurement activity concentrates in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri. Georgia school districts—including Bartow County, Bulloch County, Bryan County, Dougherty County, Douglas County, Glynn County, Henry County, Liberty County, and Savannah-Chatham County—collectively represent the largest cluster of recent lettuce and fresh-produce solicitations, driven by state school nutrition standardization and cooperative purchasing frameworks. Texas agencies, including the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), McAllen Independent School District, Northside Independent School District, and Austin Independent School District, represent the second-largest geographic concentration. Florida (Hillsborough County Public Schools), Connecticut (Meriden Public Schools), and Missouri (Rockwood R-VI School District) show lower but measurable activity. Evaluation criteria across recent bids typically weight cost at 30–50 percent, with secondary weight on product quality, delivery compliance, and vendor experience. Insurance requirements ($500,000 to $2 million general liability), HACCP certification, and Buy American Act compliance are standard. Many districts impose geographic sourcing preferences (within 200–400 miles) and organic or local-grown premiums. Contract terms run July 1 through June 30 annually with renewal options extending up to four years, and payment cycles are Net 30–45 days. The code shows active, sustained demand among school nutrition programs pursuing FFVP and National School Lunch Program compliance with fresh-produce supplier diversity.