UNSPSC 50541510: Frozen non GMO charles ross apples

The variety of non GMO apples known as non GMO charles ross apples that have been frozen 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 50541510 Frozen non-GMO Charles Ross apples, a Commodity code, does not reflect the actual scope of work being solicited under this classification in state and local procurement. The recent opportunities tagged to this code procure broad grocery and food service items — frozen foods, fresh produce, dairy, meats, grains, condiments, and supplies — for school nutrition programs serving the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The issuing bodies are exclusively school districts and boards of education across multiple states, supplemented by one state-level food procurement and one city school system. These jurisdictions buy packaged and fresh products in volume for daily meal service across dozens of school sites, with strict compliance requirements including USDA Buy American provisions (minimum 51 percent domestic agricultural content), Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act nutrition standards, whole grain requirements, low sodium specifications, HACCP food safety plans, and 24/7 food recall accessibility. Vendors deliver to central warehouses and individual school sites Monday through Friday on standard pallets, accept orders through proprietary school nutrition systems, and maintain backup stock for emergency 24-hour delivery. Pricing is firm for 12 months with escalation allowed only on documented market increases (typically 3 to 5 percent thresholds), and vendors carry $500,000 to $2,000,000 general liability and products liability coverage with school districts named as additional insured.

Recent activity clusters heavily in Georgia school districts and the broader Southeast, with recent solicitations from the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Douglas County School System, Decatur City Schools, Early County Board of Education, and Hancock County Board of Education, all posted between February and June 2026. Outside the Southeast, the Rockwood R-VI School District in Missouri's St. Louis County solicited grocery items in March 2026, and the City of Bridgeport (Connecticut) Department of Public Purchases procured items for its Board of Education with a June 30, 2026 deadline. The Georgia State procurement posted May 15, 2026 but includes limited detail. Representative opportunities include the Hancock County Board of Education fresh produce RFP (over 200 line items, June 26, 2026 sealed-bid deadline) and the Bridgeport Board of Education grocery bid supporting over 1,100 line items with June 30, 2026 electronic submission through OpenGov. The Douglas County School System RFP for fresh produce and eggs through the GEC Buying Cooperative, posted February 4, 2026 with a March 4, 2026 deadline, covers 30 school districts across two Georgia regions with estimated annual spending of approximately $5.5 million combined. School districts reserve the right to award to single or multiple vendors on a line-item basis, and contracts typically run July 1 through June 30 with renewal options.