UNSPSC 50541512: Frozen non GMO cortland apples

The variety of non GMO apples known as non GMO cortland 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 50541512 Frozen non-GMO Cortland apples (Commodity) represents a narrow product category within school nutrition procurement, but recent state and local opportunities show that this code is being applied to broad grocery and produce solicitations spanning hundreds of line items rather than frozen Cortland apples specifically. School districts and boards of education are the dominant issuing bodies, purchasing fresh and frozen produce, dairy, proteins, grains, and prepared foods to support the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program across multiple school sites. Representative recent solicitations include the City of Bridgeport Department of Public Purchases' June 2026 IFB for over 1,100 grocery line items (response date June 30, 2026), Hancock County Board of Education's IFB for fresh produce spanning multiple apple varieties and 200+ produce items (response date June 26, 2026), and the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System's April 2026 IFB for 72 fresh produce items including 21,125 cases of Fuji apples annually (response date April 23, 2026). All solicitations emphasize Buy American provisions requiring minimum 51 percent domestic agricultural commodity content, HACCP plans with 24/7 recall accessibility, whole-grain and low-sodium nutrition standards, firm fixed pricing with no fuel surcharges, and delivery Monday through Friday to multiple school sites with Net 30 to Net 45 payment terms.

Geographic activity concentrates in Georgia and Connecticut, with the largest recent procurements issued by Georgia school systems—Douglas County School System (RFP for fresh produce and eggs serving 30 districts with estimated annual spending of $4.4 million to $1.1 million by area; response date March 4, 2026), Early County Board of Education (300+ food items and non-food supplies; response date June 8, 2026), and City Schools of Decatur (frozen foods and grocery items for ten school sites; response date May 15, 2026)—alongside the Rockwood R-VI School District in Missouri (over 900 grocery line items serving 6,900 lunch and 900 breakfast participants; response date April 29, 2026). All contracts run July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 with renewal and extension options. The code's application to broad commodity procurement rather than the frozen Cortland apple product named in the category suggests either misclassification in source data or use as a catch-all for fresh and frozen produce buys.