UNSPSC 50521540: Non GMO howgate wonder apples

The variety of non GMO apples known as non GMO howgate wonder apples. This means that they are produced without the use of methods that genetically modify organisms by means that are not possible under natural conditions. Such methods include cell fusion, microencapsulation and macro-encapsulation, and recombinant DNA technology (including gene deletion, gene doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes when achieved by recombinant DNA technology).

Traditional methods of breeding, conjugation, fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or tissue culture are considered to be non-GMO.

UNSPSC 50521540 Non GMO Howgate Wonder Apples, a Commodity code, nominally describes a single produce item but state and local governments use this code tier to procure fresh produce across a broad range of fruits and vegetables for school nutrition programs. The work actually being solicited under the code spans comprehensive fresh produce supply — including apples, bananas, berries, leafy greens, peppers, tomatoes, citrus, root vegetables, eggs, and prepared produce items — delivered weekly or multiple times per week to school districts across multiple states. School districts are the dominant issuing body; the recent-opportunities block shows activity from Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin), Hancock County Board of Education (Georgia), Bartow County School System (Georgia), Bulloch County School District (Georgia), Liberty County Board of Education (Georgia), Muscogee County School District (Georgia), Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (Georgia), Glynn County Board of Education (Georgia), McAllen Independent School District (Texas), Austin Independent School District (Texas), and Douglas County School System (Georgia serving 30 districts through cooperative purchasing). School nutrition programs drive consistent activity at both individual district and cooperative-purchasing levels, with responses required via RFB, RFP, and IFB notices. Evaluation typically weights cost between 30–50%, vendor qualifications and experience between 15–25%, product quality and availability between 15–30%, compliance with USDA Buy American provisions (requiring 51% domestic content for processed items), HACCP plans, insurance coverage (generally $500,000 to $2 million general liability), and references between 5–20%. Geographic preferences or local-sourcing requirements appear in multiple jurisdictions — Madison, Bartow, and Bulloch Counties explicitly require produce sourced within 200–400 miles; McAllen offers preference for items grown within 50 miles or elsewhere in Texas; Austin participates in the Good Food Purchasing Program and encourages Texas-grown products.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia and Texas, with single outliers in Wisconsin and Texas. Representative opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District RFB 4162 for petite bananas (due July 29, 2026) at an estimated annual value of $78,000, requiring 70–90 cases weekly during school sessions with delivery to a single production center; Douglas County School System RFP SN 26-004 serving 30 school districts across two Georgia regions (due March 4, 2026) at approximately $5.5 million combined annual spending ($4.4 million for Area One, $1.1 million for Area Two) with unit pricing based on documented net cost plus fixed fee, excluding cost-plus-percentage models; Glynn County Board of Education IFB 27-02 for approximately 60 produce line items across 16 school locations (due April 14, 2026); and Austin Independent School District RFP 26RFP034 for fresh produce and beverages across all food service locations (due March 11, 2026), emphasizing Good Food Purchasing Program compliance and prohibiting third-party logistics subcontracting models. Vendors must demonstrate multi-year experience with public school systems (minimum three to five years in most solicitations), maintain refrigerated delivery capacity with documented traceability and recall procedures, meet firm fixed-price and price-redetermination structures tied to USDA market indexes or regional Consumer Price Index data, and comply with federal debarment, E-Verify, and non-discrimination certifications. Most contracts run July 1 through June 30 with renewal options up to three additional one-year terms, with weekly or multiple-per-week delivery and 98% fill-rate service-level expectations. The code shows active, recurring procurement across school districts using standard cooperative purchasing vehicles, with geographic clustering in Georgia and Texas but national geographic spread potential through multi-district cooperative arrangements.