UNSPSC 50407205: Mashua

Variety of tubers known as mashua

UNSPSC 50407205 Mashua is a Commodity code used primarily by school districts, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations to procure fresh produce—specifically root vegetables, tubers, and specialty items like mashua—as ingredients in institutional food service and child nutrition programs. The recent solicitation record shows state and local buyers treating this code as a catch-all for procurement of fresh produce items that may not fit more common commodity codes; mashua itself appears rarely in actual postings, while the code is applied to broader fresh-produce and vegetable-sourcing efforts. School nutrition departments dominate the issuing-body mix, including independent school districts in Texas (Northside, Austin, McAllen), Georgia (Madison Metropolitan, Bartow County, Glynn County, Liberty County, Dougherty County, Douglas County cooperative, Muscogee County, Henry County), and Florida (Hillsborough County), alongside state departments of criminal justice (Texas TDCJ for bulk institutional food service), Head Start child care providers, and city/county human services agencies. Most solicitations under codes adjacent to or tagged as produce focus on weekly or daily delivery of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs to multiple school sites, with pricing pegged to USDA market indices and delivery in refrigerated vehicles between 6:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Compliance requirements consistently include HACCP plans, food-safety traceability, general liability insurance (typically $500,000 to $2,000,000 minimum), Buy American Act adherence, debarment certification, and E-Verify authorization.

Geographic activity concentrates in Texas and Georgia, with secondary presence in Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri. Texas Department of Criminal Justice posts frequent IFBs for bulk vegetables (white potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots) and cafeteria food products to supply multiple warehouse locations and institutional commissaries. Georgia school districts—particularly in the coastal and south-central regions—issue RFPs and IFBs for fresh produce on annual cycles, often through cooperative purchasing vehicles such as the GEC Buying Cooperative covering multiple districts simultaneously. Representative recent opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District (RFB 4163, fresh fruit and vegetable snacks due July 29, 2026, with 5% preference for Wisconsin diverse-owned vendors and $0.20-per-pound organic preference discount); Head Start of Greater Dallas (IFB 26-GP, grocery products including 32,409 cases of frozen foods and produce due June 24, 2026, valued at $969,460.94); Northside Independent School District San Antonio (RFP 2026-048, fresh produce for child nutrition, sealed bids due May 7, 2026, with pricing weighted 35% in evaluation); Hillsborough County Public Schools Tampa (RFP 26039RFPDST, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program specialty items for 18 elementary schools, due March 11, 2026, with $600,000 annual USDA grant budget); and Douglas County School System Georgia cooperative RFP (SN 26-004, approximately $4.4 million Area One and $1.1 million Area Two, proposals due March 4, 2026). Most contracts run July 1 through June 30 with renewal options for one to four additional one-year terms; no set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises appear standard, though some jurisdictions encourage small, minority, and women-owned business participation as federal funding requirements. Price-adjustment mechanisms typically require documentation from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service or Consumer Price Index data for mid-term changes exceeding 3 to 5 percent thresholds.