UNSPSC 50542521: Frozen non GMO sonata cherries

The variety of non GMO cherries known as non GMO sonata cherries 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 50542521 Frozen non-GMO Sonata cherries is a Commodity code that encompasses frozen specialty fruit products procured primarily by school districts to support child nutrition and school meal programs. The code sees active demand from state and local school nutrition services seeking to source frozen produce items alongside comprehensive grocery and fresh produce contracts. State and local government buyers under this code are predominantly school districts and school nutrition authorities, including systems serving urban and suburban populations across multiple states. These jurisdictions solicit frozen specialty fruits as line items within larger frozen foods, grocery, and produce contracts that support National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program compliance. The scope of actual procurement extends beyond the Sonata cherry specification alone — school districts source frozen produce as components of expansive multi-item grocery and frozen food bids that specify whole-grain standards, low-sodium requirements, nutrition labeling, HACCP plan compliance, and Buy American provisions requiring 51 percent domestic agricultural ingredient content in processed products.

Recent activity centers on Georgia and Missouri school districts issuing IFBs and RFPs for frozen and fresh produce during late winter and spring 2026. The City Schools of Decatur issued IFB PE77310NONST2026000000018 on April 16, 2026, for frozen foods and grocery items with a May 15, 2026 due date; the Rockwood R-VI School District in Missouri solicited grocery items (UNSPSC not aligned to frozen fruit specifically) on March 31, 2026, with an April 29, 2026 deadline; Hancock County Board of Education in Georgia issued IFB #SN002-2027 on June 10, 2026, for fresh produce with a June 26, 2026 submission date; and the Douglas County School System in Georgia solicited fresh produce and eggs through the GEC Buying Cooperative RFP SN 26-004 on February 4, 2026, for an estimated $4.4 million (Area One, 18 districts) and $1.1 million (Area Two, 12 districts) in annual spending. Most recent opportunities do not explicitly name frozen Sonata cherries as a line item, indicating the code may see limited direct procurement velocity under its specific commodity designation despite strong overall frozen and fresh produce activity in school nutrition procurement.