UNSPSC 50405917: Cushuro

The cushuro, murmunta or nostoc is a type of bluish green algae from heights and a relevant source of micronutrients.

UNSPSC 50405917 Cushuro, a Commodity code, describes fresh produce procurement — primarily fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and produce-based food items — being solicited and purchased by state and local governments for institutional food service operations. State and local solicitations under this code span institutional cafeterias at correctional facilities, residential treatment centers, and state-supported living facilities; school nutrition programs across elementary, middle, and high school systems; senior centers and aging services; mental health and behavioral health treatment centers; and municipal parks and recreation concession operations. The issuing-body mix includes state departments (Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Mental Health), county and city governments (Collier County, Bryan County, Dougherty County, Bartow County in Georgia; City of San Antonio; Marion County in Indiana; Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin), and specialized procurement bodies such as Head Start of Greater Dallas serving early-childhood education programs. The work being solicited ranges from weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of fresh-cut, ready-to-eat produce servings for school breakfast and lunch programs to bulk vegetable purchases for institutional food preparation and canning operations at correctional and residential facilities. Representative recent solicitations include the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's IFB HHS0018082 for consumables including fresh-prepared items for Lufkin State Supported Living Center (bids due October 23, 2026), the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's multiple IFBs for fresh fruit and vegetables at regional food warehouses (Palestine, Snyder, Wynne locations; responses due October 14 and October 19, 2026), the Illinois Department of Corrections' RFQ for fresh produce to Joliet Treatment Center with small business set-aside (quotes due September 3, 2026), and the Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks under the USDA Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program sourced within 400 miles and Wisconsin (bids due July 29, 2026).

Geographic activity concentrates heavily in Texas (multiple TDCJ and HHSC solicitations), Georgia (Bartow County, Dougherty County, Bryan County school districts), and Illinois (Department of Mental Health, Department of Corrections). Collier County, Florida; Madison, Wisconsin; San Antonio, Texas; and Indiana also show recent activity. Procurement cycles align with institutional fiscal-year budgeting, with fall and summer months showing elevated solicitation volume. School districts and correctional agencies dominate the issuing-body count. Most state and local buyers require F.O.B. Destination pricing with transportation included, compliance with HACCP and food-safety certifications, commercial general liability insurance ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,000, and prevailing-wage compliance where applicable. Evaluation commonly weights cost, quality and freshness standards, delivery reliability, and compliance with nutrition program requirements (USDA National School Lunch Program, CACFP). Local and regional sourcing preferences appear frequently in school district and county procurements, with distance caps (typically 400 miles within state) and documentation of farm origin or traceability required. Minority business enterprise and woman-owned business enterprise preferences or scoring adjustments appear in select jurisdictions; small business set-asides are present in correctional and mental health facility procurements. Contract terms typically run one year with optional renewal periods of one to four additional years.