UNSPSC 50404618: Mache lettuce

The variety of lettuce known as mache lettuce

UNSPSC 50404618 Mache lettuce, a Commodity code, represents a narrow product line within fresh produce procurement. State and local governments buy prepared or processed mache lettuce—typically bagged, cleaned, and ready-to-eat—for institutional food service operations including correctional facilities, state-supported living centers, school districts, mental health facilities, and regional park concessions. Recent solicitations show mache lettuce as part of broader fresh produce and grocery aggregations rather than as a standalone line item; where mache appears, it is bundled with mixed-greens, salads, or fresh vegetables for bulk institutional delivery. The issuing bodies span state departments of criminal justice and health and human services, county school nutrition programs, and municipal recreation authorities. Texas dominates the recent opportunity set, with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and multiple Texas school districts and state facilities posting produce solicitations in the past four months. Georgia school systems (Bryan County Schools, Dougherty County Board of Education, Bartow County Schools) and Illinois state mental health and corrections agencies round out the geographic spread, with scattered activity in Wisconsin and Florida.

Representative recent opportunities include the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's IFB HHS0018082 for consumable foods at Lufkin State Supported Living Center (posted October 16, 2026, due October 23, 2026), which aggregates fresh produce with prepared foods and supplies across 22 line items; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's RFP IW267376 for fresh fruit and vegetable supply to Palestine, Texas (posted October 12, 2026, due October 19, 2026); the Illinois Department of Corrections' RFQ for fresh produce delivery to Joliet Treatment Center (posted August 27, 2026, due September 3, 2026), specifying bi-weekly delivery of produce including bag lettuce with minimum two-week shelf life from receipt; and Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed-bid procurement for fresh produce across 40 line items for 24 school nutrition sites (posted May 19, 2026, due June 16, 2026). Most opportunities require F.O.B. Destination pricing with prepaid freight, compliance with USDA quality standards, and delivery within five to seven days of order. Mache lettuce appears implicitly in aggregated produce specs but rarely as a called-out item, signaling low volume or commodity-market sourcing by most jurisdictions. Set-asides and preferences vary by issuer—some Texas facilities apply HUB subcontracting plans, while school districts in Georgia and Wisconsin emphasize local-vendor and diverse-owned business preferences with point adjustments. Activity is current and steady through October 2026, with most contracts running July through June to align with school and fiscal-year cycles.