UNSPSC 50404619: Red boston lettuce

The variety of lettuce known as red boston lettuce

UNSPSC 50404619 Red boston lettuce, a Commodity code, covers fresh produce distributed through state and local food service operations — primarily school districts and institutional buyers procuring fresh vegetables for child nutrition, senior services, and correctional facility meal programs. State and local governments buy red boston lettuce as one line item within broader fresh produce contracts that also span apples, carrots, tomatoes, and dozens of other vegetables, all delivered fresh to central warehouses or individual school sites on weekly or twice-weekly schedules. The work is solicited by school districts (elementary through high school), county boards of education, state correctional facilities, head start organizations, senior service agencies, and independent school systems across the South and Texas, with each buyer bundling lettuce procurement into comprehensive food-service RFPs, RFQs, and IFBs that emphasize USDA compliance, HACCP certification, food safety documentation, temperature-controlled delivery, and traceability by farm of origin.

Recent activity concentrates heavily in Georgia and Texas. The Bartow County School System (Georgia) sought local fresh fruits and vegetables with a June 22, 2026 RFP deadline emphasizing 400-mile sourcing; the Dougherty County Board of Education (Georgia) issued an IFB for fresh produce due June 16, 2026 covering 40 line items including lettuce; and the Glynn County Board of Education (Georgia) posted an IFB (27-02) for fresh produce due April 14, 2026 with approximately 60 produce items. Texas activity includes Northside Independent School District (RFP 2026-048, due May 7, 2026) and McAllen Independent School District (RFP 2026-1029, due March 6, 2026), both seeking fresh produce for child nutrition with weekly five-day delivery. The Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) issued an RFB for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks due July 29, 2026 under the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, requiring 5,900 weekly servings with 400-mile sourcing and a $0.20-per-pound organic preference discount. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has posted multiple vegetable IFBs (carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes for canning) due June 23, 2026. Most school procurement emphasizes cost-plus pricing indexed to USDA Atlanta Terminal Market Reports or simple per-unit or per-pound bidding, firm pricing for the contract term (typically July through June), and awards to lowest responsive and responsible bidders or, increasingly, to multiple vendors on a line-item basis.