UNSPSC 50405101: Chinese lantern

The variety of nightshades known as chinese lantern

UNSPSC 50405101 Chinese lantern is a Commodity code that does not correspond to the recent state and local procurement activity indexed under it. The source contains no solicitations for decorative lanterns, lighting products, or holiday décor items. Instead, all 25 recent opportunities tagged to this code solicit food products—fresh produce, prepared foods, grocery items, and food service supplies for institutional settings including state supported living centers, correctional facilities, mental health centers, school districts, and senior services programs. The mismatch between the code's nominal scope (decorative or lighting lanterns) and actual procurement activity suggests either a data classification error in the indexing system or that this Commodity code is being misapplied to food procurement by issuing bodies.

State and local governments are using this code to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared entrees, dairy products, proteins, condiments, and disposable food service supplies for institutional feeding operations. Recent activity spans Texas Health and Human Services Commission (multiple state supported living centers and facilities), Texas Department of Criminal Justice (correctional food warehouses), Illinois Department of Corrections and Department of Mental Health, school districts in Georgia, Wisconsin, and Texas, and county and city human services agencies. Texas, Georgia, and Illinois show the heaviest recent activity. Representative solicitations include the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's IFB HHS0018082 (October 23, 2026 response date) for consumable foods and food service supplies at Lufkin State Supported Living Center; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's fresh fruit and vegetable RFPs for multiple warehouse locations (response dates October 14–19, 2026); the Dougherty County Board of Education School Nutrition Program's sealed bid for fresh produce (June 16, 2026 response date); and the Bartow County School System's RFP for local fresh fruits and vegetables sourced within 400 miles (June 22, 2026 response date). Pursuit under this code requires reconciliation with the actual food-procurement scope before bid preparation, as the code name does not reflect the commodity being solicited.