UNSPSC 50416601: Organic acorn squash

The variety of organic winter squashes and organic winter pumpkins known as organic acorn squash

UNSPSC 50416601 Organic acorn squash (Commodity) represents a narrow product line within produce procurement, but state and local sourcing under this specific code sees limited direct activity. Recent state and local solicitations frame the actual buying more broadly: school districts, state agencies, and county education systems are procuring fresh produce in bulk for child nutrition programs, farm-to-school initiatives, and general institutional food service. Early County Board of Education (Georgia) sought line-by-line food bids including produce through June 8, 2026; Northside Independent School District (Texas) issued RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce delivery across 127 campuses through May 7, 2026; Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) solicited specialty fruits and vegetables for its USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program through an RFP due March 11, 2026; and Muscogee County School District (Georgia) issued ITB 26-017 for approximately 60 produce line items by April 27, 2026. These opportunities typically require vendors to supply multiple produce categories (apples, bananas, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and others) rather than acorn squash as a standalone item. Issuing bodies include school districts of varying sizes (from 6,900 to 83,000 students), state agencies (Georgia Department of Education), and county school systems. The code's narrow focus on a single seasonal vegetable means opportunities tagged to it do not cleanly reflect the actual procurement scope in practice.

Geographic concentration runs heavily through Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida and Missouri. Georgia school districts—Early County, Bulloch County, Liberty County, Glynn County, Muscogee County, Savannah-Chatham, and Douglas County (through the GEC cooperative)—dominate the recent posting activity (March through May 2026), while Texas districts including Northside Independent School District (San Antonio) and McAllen Independent School District, and Austin Independent School District, plus Hillsborough County Schools (Tampa) and Rockwood R-VI School District (Missouri), round out the regional spread. Most opportunities follow a July 1 contract start and require firm pricing for 12 months, with annual renewal options. Vendors must typically demonstrate HACCP certification, maintain commercial general liability insurance ($1 million minimum), comply with Buy American provisions, and meet USDA food safety standards. Delivery is almost universally required five days per week during school hours (typically 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) to multiple school locations, with no separate fuel surcharges permitted. The code itself reflects a commodity tier that does not map cleanly to the institutional buying pattern; practitioners pursuing this space should work from broader fresh-produce-procurement templates rather than acorn-squash-specific positioning.