UNSPSC 50524606: Non GMO carnical melons

The variety of non GMO melons known as non GMO carnical melons. 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 50524606 Non-GMO Carnical Melons, a Commodity code, encompasses fresh whole melons procured by school districts to support institutional food service and child nutrition programs. State and local buyers under this code are predominantly school nutrition departments at independent school districts, county boards of education, and regional cooperative purchasing vehicles serving multiple districts. The work being solicited includes sourcing and delivering fresh produce—predominantly melons and complementary produce items—to school kitchens and food production centers on weekly or bi-weekly schedules, with strict attention to ripeness standards, temperature maintenance, HACCP compliance, and fill-rate guarantees. Representative recent solicitations show school districts requiring produce in bulk case packs (typically 50- to 150-count cases) delivered early morning to central food production facilities or individual school sites, with specifications tied to USDA standards, color guides (such as the Chiquita banana ripeness scale), and shelf-life minimums ranging from five to seven days.

School districts across Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin account for the majority of recent activity under this code. The Glynn County Board of Education, Liberty County Board of Education, Hancock County Board of Education, Muscogee County School District, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, and Bulloch County School District (all in Georgia) have posted competitive IFBs and RFPs for fresh produce including melons between March and June 2026. Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin issued RFBs for petite bananas and fresh fruit and vegetable snacks (July 8, 2026, due July 29, 2026), while Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida solicited specialty fruits and vegetables for the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (RFP 26039RFQDST, due March 11, 2026). McAllen Independent School District in Texas and Austin Independent School District in Texas have also posted RFPs covering fresh produce (March 2026 and February 2026, respectively). Cooperative purchasing vehicles such as the GEC Buying Cooperative (Douglas County School System, Georgia) aggregate demand across 30 districts with estimated annual spending of approximately $5.5 million combined. Most contracts run July 1 through June 30 of the following fiscal year, with awards based on lowest responsive and responsible bidding, line-item pricing, and USDA index-based evaluations where applicable.