UNSPSC 50407013: Bittermelon

The type of vegetable known as bittermelon

UNSPSC 50407013 Bittermelon is a Commodity code that captures state and local procurement of fresh vegetables for institutional food service, school nutrition programs, and specialized nutrition initiatives, though recent solicitations show bittermelon itself is rarely called out by name — instead, state and local bodies are buying mixed fresh produce bundles that may include it alongside carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, leafy greens, peppers, broccoli, and other commodity vegetables for school cafeterias, Head Start programs, senior services, correctional facilities, and child nutrition reimbursable programs. School districts dominate the buyer base, along with state departments of criminal justice, county school systems, and city senior services divisions. Recent representative solicitations include Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 for Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Snacks (approximately 5,900 servings weekly, due July 29, 2026, with 5% preference for Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program vendors and $0.20 per pound organic preference); Head Start of Greater Dallas' IFB 26-GP for grocery products across frozen foods, produce, and meat (estimated $969,460.94 total value, pre-bid April 16, 2026, bids due June 24, 2026); and multiple Texas Department of Criminal Justice solicitations for carrots and sweet potatoes for canning in bulk quantities.

Geographic concentration is heaviest in the Southeast and Texas. Georgia school districts—including Bartow County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Glynn County, Henry County, Bulloch County, and Savannah-Chatham County—have posted multiple fresh produce bids for school year 2026-2027 through June and July. Texas TDCJ has issued several root-vegetable IFBs (carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes) with June deadlines, while school districts in Florida (Hillsborough County), Texas (Northside, McAllen, Austin ISD), Missouri (Rockwood), Connecticut (Meriden), Utah (Salt Lake City), and scattered other jurisdictions round out the activity. Produce specifications across all buyers emphasize USDA compliance, Buy American provisions, HACCP certification, traceability by farm of origin where local-sourcing mandates apply (many require 200–400 mile radius sourcing), and delivery into multiple school sites or institutional locations with temperature control and weekly or more-frequent replenishment. Award values for individual school district contracts typically range from $600,000 to $3.1 million annually, though state-level TDCJ food service aggregations and cooperative purchasing vehicles (such as GEC Buying Cooperative) can exceed $5 million. Most contracts run July through June aligned to school fiscal years, with response dates clustering in March through May for 2026-2027 awards.