UNSPSC 50532523: Dried non GMO stella cherries

The variety of non GMO cherries known as non GMO stella cherries that have been dried for preservation. 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 50532523 Dried non-GMO Stella cherries is a Commodity code that captures dried-cherry products sourced for institutional food service, but recent state and local solicitations show minimal direct procurement activity under this specific code. Instead, state and local education and human services bodies are soliciting across broad food and produce categories — breakfast items, fresh produce, frozen goods, snacks, and prepared meals — where dried specialty fruits like non-GMO Stella cherries may appear as line items within larger grocery or nutritional offerings. The City of Bridgeport Department of Public Purchases recently posted an RFQ for over 1,100 line items of grocery goods for the Bridgeport Board of Education, subject to Buy American Provision requirements (minimum 51 percent domestic agricultural ingredients) and Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act nutrition standards, with samples evaluated through blind testing on seasoning, color, texture, taste, and specification compliance. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission and multiple school districts — Hancock County Board of Education (Georgia), Hillsborough County (Florida), and Pascagoula-Gautier School District (Mississippi) — have posted IFBs and ITBs for food and produce ranging from fresh items to prepared meals, but none explicitly names dried cherries as a line item.

The recent opportunity set spans education procurement (school districts in Georgia, Connecticut, and Mississippi), state human services agencies (Texas), and county government (Hillsborough County), concentrated in the Southeast and Southwest. Issuing bodies enforce strict compliance: Buy American provisions requiring domestic content certification, HACCP plans, E-Verify authorization, liability insurance naming the purchasing entity as additional insured, and nutritional labeling compliance. Response dates have passed or are imminent on most posted opportunities (Bridgeport due June 30, 2026; Hancock County due June 26, 2026; Hillsborough County due June 25, 2026; Pascagoula-Gautier due April 29, 2026). No recent solicitations specifically target dried specialty fruits or Stella cherries by name, suggesting that procurement under this Commodity code operates as a subordinate line item within broader fresh or frozen produce categories rather than as a standalone contract vehicle in the state and local market.