UNSPSC 50405705: Purple potatoes

The variety of potatoes known as purple potatoes

UNSPSC 50405705 Commodity Purple potatoes comprises fresh produce supply contracts for institutional food service, with state and local governments procuring purple potatoes both as standalone line items and as components of broader fresh produce packages for school nutrition programs, criminal justice institutions, senior services, and child care facilities. The recent solicitations show purple potatoes appearing alongside mixed produce inventories (carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes) rather than as exclusive procurement focus; issuing bodies span school districts of varying sizes, state correctional and criminal justice departments, Head Start programs, municipal senior services divisions, and county boards of education across Texas, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri. School districts dominate the activity, with multiple Georgia school nutrition programs (Bartow County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Glynn County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Bulloch County, Savannah-Chatham County, and Henry County) posting fresh produce bids that include potatoes as line items; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has issued multiple separate solicitations for white potatoes and sweet potatoes for institutional canning operations, with purple potatoes likely falling under similar state procurement umbrellas. Evaluation criteria across these opportunities weight cost heavily (typically 30–50 points), with secondary emphasis on product quality, delivery capability, traceability compliance, and compliance with USDA Buy American and food safety standards including HACCP certification and recall procedures.

Geographic concentration is strongest in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri. Representative recent opportunities include Bartow County School System's RFP 10-2026-019 (due June 22, 2026) for local fresh fruits and vegetables sourced within 400 miles, emphasizing seasonal variety and farm-of-origin traceability with weighted scoring on cost (30 points), seasonal variety (25 points), and quality (15 points); Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed bid for fresh produce covering 40 line items including potatoes (due June 16, 2026) with estimated usage quantities and F.O.B. Destination delivery to 24 nutrition sites; Texas Department of Criminal Justice IFB IW253099 for white potatoes for canning (due June 23, 2026) with bulk quantity requirements and firm pricing for 30 days; and Meriden Public Schools RFP 026-41 for commercial groceries and produce (due February 25, 2026) serving 8,200 students across 13 sites with estimated total value of approximately $3,100,000. Purple potatoes as a discrete commodity line see minimal standalone solicitation activity; procurement appears driven by menu planning integration into broader produce contracts rather than market-pull for the varietal specifically. Vendors pursuing this code should focus on school nutrition programs and institutional food service suppliers in high-activity jurisdictions (Georgia and Texas school districts) and position purple potatoes within comprehensive fresh-produce supply relationships rather than as specialty items.