UNSPSC 50404805: Cremini mushrooms

The variety of mushrooms known as cremini mushrooms

UNSPSC 50404805 Cremini mushrooms is a Commodity code that captures state and local procurement of fresh mushrooms for institutional food service, primarily school nutrition programs and child care operations. Recent solicitations show school districts and other child nutrition operators sourcing cremini and other mushroom varieties as components of broader fresh produce procurements—not as standalone line items, but embedded within comprehensive vegetable specifications for cafeteria operations and federally funded meal programs. The issuing bodies span multiple states and jurisdiction types, with school nutrition programs (district and county level), Head Start organizations, and state departments of criminal justice driving the bulk of activity. A representative recent opportunity is the Bulloch County School District's IFP for local produce (issued April 3, 2026, due May 4, 2026), which includes mushrooms among 24 locally sourced produce items; another is Head Start of Greater Dallas's IFB for grocery products (issued June 24, 2026, due June 24, 2026), which sought produce including mushrooms across approximately 32,409 cases for child care programs meeting CACFP requirements.

Activity concentrates in Georgia (multiple school districts including Bulloch, Dougherty, Bryan, Savannah-Chatham, Liberty, Muscogee, Glynn, and Henry counties), Texas (McAllen Independent School District, Austin ISD, TDCJ, and Head Start of Greater Dallas), and Florida (Hillsborough County Public Schools), with scattered activity in Connecticut, Missouri, and other states. The geographic clustering reflects state-level school nutrition procurement cycles and federal USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program funding windows (typically August through May school year). Most procurements use sealed-bid or RFP formats with response dates concentrated in spring 2026 (March through June) for contracts commencing July 1, 2026. Cremini mushrooms do not appear as a standalone commodity in these recent notices; instead, they are sourced as one line item within 60–300+ total produce line items, typically quoted on a per-pound or per-case basis with pricing tied to USDA market indices or fixed unit prices. Competition favors vendors with HACCP certification, liability insurance ($500,000 to $2,000,000 minimum), Buy American compliance, and demonstrated school nutrition experience; local sourcing preferences (within 200–400 miles) and organic/sustainably grown premiums are common evaluation factors. No sole-source or set-aside-restricted opportunities for mushrooms specifically appear in the recent record; procurement is open to all qualified food service distributors.