UNSPSC 50405617: Cayenne peppers

The variety of peppers known as cayenne peppers

UNSPSC 50405617 Cayenne peppers (Commodity) frames a narrow agricultural commodity that state and local governments procure primarily as an ingredient component within broader food service contracts rather than as a standalone item. Recent solicitations confirm that cayenne peppers appear as a line item within institutional food service bidding—specifically in Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) consumables and food service grocery procurements for state-supported living centers, where peppers are listed alongside prepared foods, condiments, sauces, and disposable serviceware. The code sees activity primarily from state agencies managing institutional food operations, particularly Texas HHSC and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), alongside limited activity from school districts and county health facilities. Geographic concentration is heavy in Texas, with secondary activity in Illinois and Georgia driven by school nutrition programs and correctional institutional food service. The issuing bodies include state departments of health and human services, departments of corrections, county school boards, and independent school districts—all managing high-volume cafeteria and institutional dining operations where spice ingredients are consumable line items within broader multi-item food contracts rather than specialty procurement drivers.

Representative recent opportunities illustrate the embedded nature of the commodity within larger food service scopes. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission issued IFB HHS0018082 (responses due October 23, 2026) for consumable foods at Lufkin State Supported Living Center, specifying 22 line items including peppers among sauces and prepared foods; similarly, HHS0017872 and HHS0017799 issued August 2026 for HHSC facilities specify peppers as components within 20-item canteen and food service grocery line sheets with annual usage quantities measured in single-digit to mid-range case volumes. The Illinois Department of Mental Health's Madden Mental Health Center (August 2026 small purchase procurement) and the Illinois Department of Corrections at Joliet Treatment Center (August 2026 IFB for bi-weekly fresh produce delivery) indicate that institutional buyers across multiple states treat fresh peppers as recurring fresh-produce consumables. Opportunity flow remains consistent but moderate—the code appears in quarterly institutional food service solicitations tied to fiscal-year budget cycles rather than in standalone pepper procurement events. Vendors pursuing this code should expect to bid peppers as one line item within multi-category food service invitations for bids and requests for proposals, with delivery typically consolidated to single institutional sites and pricing evaluated alongside dozens of competing food-service line items.