UNSPSC 50406526: Yellow pear-shaped tomatoes

The variety of tomates known as yellow pear-shaped tomatoes

UNSPSC 50406526 Yellow pear-shaped tomatoes is a Commodity code covering fresh produce items—specifically tomatoes and related vegetables—that state and local governments procure for school nutrition, corrections, senior services, and other institutional food programs. The recent solicitations show that issuing bodies in this code buy fresh produce broadly, not limited to yellow pear-shaped tomatoes alone; school districts and state agencies source apples, bananas, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes (in multiple varieties), and seasonal items for cafeteria operations, federal meal programs (National School Lunch Program, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program), and inmate food services. Issuing bodies span school districts of varying sizes (from small rural systems to large urban districts like Austin ISD and Northside ISD in Texas), state departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, State of Georgia), county school systems, and specialized child nutrition programs (Head Start of Greater Dallas). School districts dominate the recent activity, with repeat solicitations from Georgia school systems (Bulloch County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Liberty County, Glynn County, Savannah-Chatham County, and others) and Texas districts (Austin ISD, McAllen ISD, Northside ISD, Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida). State correctional systems in Texas appear regularly as institutional buyers placing large-volume bids for bulk produce destined for canning or food service.

Geographic activity concentrates heavily in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri. Representative recent solicitations include Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed bid for fresh produce covering 40 line items (apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, oranges, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes) with bids due June 16, 2026 (IFB format); Bulloch County School District's IFP for locally grown produce within 200 miles with proposals due May 4, 2026; Austin Independent School District's RFP 26RFP034 for fresh produce and beverages with submissions due March 11, 2026; and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's IFB IW253121 for sweet potatoes for canning and IFB IW241979-A for 1,200 tons of carrots (opened March 17, 2026). School district contracts typically run July through June with one-year to four-year renewal options, involve weekly or twice-weekly delivery to multiple sites with temperature control and HACCP compliance, and use USDA Specialty Crops Terminal Markets or Agricultural Marketing Service pricing benchmarks for cost redetermination. Evaluation commonly weights cost at 30–50 percent, with secondary criteria addressing product quality, delivery performance, local sourcing preferences (many Georgia and Texas districts apply geographic preferences for produce grown within 200–400 miles), and vendor experience. Texas applies service-disabled veteran and in-state vendor set-asides where applicable; no federal set-asides are referenced in the solicitations, though some districts encourage diverse-owned business participation and apply small-business preferences consistent with federal 2 CFR Part 200 requirements for programs using USDA funding.