UNSPSC 50442400: Frozen cardoons

The type of vegetable known as cardoons that has been frozen for preservation.

UNSPSC 50442400 Frozen cardoons, a Class code, sees limited direct procurement activity in state and local government. The code nominally covers frozen cardoon vegetables, but recent state and local solicitations tagged under this code do not reflect purchasing of cardoons specifically. Instead, the tagged opportunities represent broad food procurement for institutional feeding — school nutrition programs, correctional facilities, state hospitals, and senior services — encompassing dozens of frozen and shelf-stable food categories (proteins, vegetables, dairy, grains, condiments, paper products) where frozen vegetables are one line item among many. The issuing bodies are primarily state departments (Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Oregon Department of Corrections, Illinois Chief Procurement Office, New Jersey Department of Human Services), county governments (Gwinnett County, Montgomery County Pennsylvania), school districts (Bridgeport Board of Education, Early County Schools, Burke County Public Schools, Ben Hill County Schools), and a city purchasing office (Bridgeport). Multiple state agencies appear as repeat buyers — Texas HHSC and TDCJ, Oregon DOC, and Georgia and Illinois state facilities — indicating steady institutional demand for food commodities.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Representative recent solicitations include Gwinnett County's informal written quote for approximately 1,062 cases of shelf-stable food items due October 19, 2026 (IWQ 140229); Oregon Department of Corrections' ITB for 360,000 pounds of frozen vegetables (broccoli, corn, green beans, assorted blends) due August 20, 2026 (S2910000017692), with 5% Oregon-preference and 5% resident-bidder preference available; and Texas HHSC's IFB for frozen food products serving state hospitals and supported living centers statewide, estimated at approximately $9 million annually, due August 18, 2026 (HHS0017338). Pricing in recent Oregon frozen-vegetable bids ranged from $0.498 to $0.67 per pound. The code appears to function as a catch-all tag for institutional food procurement rather than a discrete frozen-cardoon market; vendors pursuing activity under this code should expect broad-category grocery and frozen-food RFQs, IFBs, and ITBs requiring price quotes across 50–400+ line items with firm fixed pricing, F.O.B. destination delivery, compliance with USDA/FDA standards and Buy American provisions where applicable, and liability insurance in the $500,000–$2,000,000 range.