UNSPSC 50414500: Organic lettuces

The type of organic vegetable known as organic lettuces

UNSPSC 50414500 Organic lettuces is a Class code that describes fresh lettuce and leafy greens supplied to state and local institutions, primarily school districts, for child nutrition and food service operations. Recent state and local solicitations under this code emphasize fresh produce procurement for school lunch and breakfast programs, with emphasis on compliance with USDA Child Nutrition Reimbursable standards, Buy American provisions, and domestic sourcing preferences where cost and quality are comparable. School districts dominate the issuing body mix, ranging from small districts serving 11,000+ students to large metropolitan systems; state departments and county school systems also procure under related produce categories. Representative recent opportunities include Northside Independent School District (San Antonio, Texas) seeking fresh produce for child nutrition through RFP 2026-048 with response due May 7, 2026; Early County Board of Education (Georgia) requesting line-by-line food bids through an IFB with due date June 8, 2026; and Bulloch County School District (Georgia) issuing an IFP for locally grown produce within 200 miles through May 4, 2026. The State of Georgia has also issued fresh produce solicitations, including IFB #4 2027-2026 due May 27, 2026.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia, Texas, Missouri, and Florida. Georgia appears as a standout repeat buyer, with multiple school districts and the state itself posting fresh produce RFPs and IFBs from February through May 2026. Texas school districts including Austin ISD and Northside ISD are active, as are Florida's Hillsborough County Public Schools and Missouri's Rockwood R-VI School District. Delivery requirements are consistent across jurisdictions: weekly or twice-weekly service to multiple school sites during standard school hours (typically 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday), with vendors required to maintain HACCP certification, general liability insurance ($1 million to $2 million per occurrence), compliance with Buy American provisions, E-Verify authorization, and in some cases domestic sourcing preferences. Contract terms typically run July 1 through June 30 with renewal options for one to four additional one-year periods. Pricing structures vary—some districts use USDA Agricultural Marketing Service terminal market benchmarks with markups, while others request firm fixed pricing for the contract year. Most solicitations do not identify set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises or restrict participation by vendor type, making competition open to qualified distributors.