UNSPSC 50407016: Cha-om

The type of vegetable known as cha-om

UNSPSC 50407016 Cha-om, a Commodity code, names a specialty leafy green used in Southeast Asian cuisine—yet the recent state and local opportunities posted under this code tell a different story. School districts, county nutrition programs, and state procurement offices across the country are sourcing fresh produce far more broadly: apples, bananas, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, and dozens of other staples for child nutrition, senior services, and institutional food service. The code appears to function as a catch-all for fresh produce procurement when districts and agencies lack more granular UNSPSC classification or use legacy code assignments. State and local buyers under this code are predominantly school nutrition programs (Madison Metropolitan, Northside Independent, Savannah-Chatham County, Bartow County, Bulloch County, Bryan County, McAllen Independent, Austin Independent, and Hillsborough County among many others), followed by state criminal justice or correctional facilities (Texas Department of Criminal Justice), county and city departments of human services, and independent child care networks. The mix spans K–12 districts, Head Start organizations, senior center networks, and institutional food service operations across multiple states.

Recent activity concentrates heavily in Georgia and Texas, with secondary volume in Florida, Utah, Missouri, Connecticut, and South Carolina. Representative solicitations include the Northside Independent School District RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce delivery to 47 campuses across San Antonio (sealed bids due May 7, 2026); the Texas Department of Criminal Justice IFB IW253079 for carrots and IFB IW253099 for white potatoes for canning (both due June 23, 2026); the Hillsborough County Public Schools RFP 26039RFPDST for specialty fresh fruits and vegetables for the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program serving 18 elementary schools (proposals due March 11, 2026); and the Bartow County School System RFP 10-2026-019 for local fresh fruits and vegetables sourced within 400 miles (proposals due June 22, 2026). Most school nutrition procurement uses sealed-bid IFB or RFP structures with evaluation criteria emphasizing cost (typically 30–50 percent weight), product quality and availability, delivery performance, and geographic or local-sourcing preferences where applicable. Contract terms typically run July 1 through June 30 annually with renewal options spanning two to four additional one-year periods. Vendors must carry general liability insurance of $500,000 to $2,000,000 per occurrence, comply with Buy American provisions and USDA food safety standards including HACCP certification, and demonstrate E-Verify compliance and debarment status. A 5 percent to 15 percent local or geographic preference discount on pricing is common in school districts, and several districts (Madison Metropolitan, Bartow County, Bulloch County) explicitly restrict sourcing to farms within 200–400 miles.