UNSPSC 50542524: Frozen non GMO sweetheart cherries

The variety of non GMO cherries known as non GMO sweetheart 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 50542524 Frozen non-GMO sweetheart cherries, a Commodity code, describes shelf-stable and frozen produce items that state and local governments procure primarily through school nutrition programs, county services departments, and municipal food procurement offices. The recent activity in this code reflects broad food-service purchasing across breakfast and lunch programs, senior services operations, and institutional meal preparation rather than narrow procurement of a single cherry variety. School districts dominate the solicitation volume, followed by county boards of education and municipal purchasing departments; these buyers source frozen and fresh produce as line items within larger nutrition contracts spanning 200 to 1,100+ food SKUs. The scope of work encompasses procurement of case-packed frozen fruits, fresh seasonal produce, and shelf-stable items that meet USDA nutrition standards, Buy American content thresholds (minimum 51% domestic agricultural commodity content in processed products), whole-grain requirements, sodium limits, and allergen restrictions—particularly nut-free formulations for school lunch compliance. Delivery typically occurs Monday through Friday within narrow time windows (6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) to centralized warehouses or school sites, with 48-hour to 72-hour fulfillment expectations and F.O.B. Destination pricing that includes freight and inside delivery.

Georgia and Connecticut constitute the primary geographic markets in recent activity, with school districts and county boards of education in both states executing nutrition contracts with fixed pricing terms, firm unit-of-measure bidding, and award to lowest responsive and responsible bidders. Representative recent opportunities include the Hancock County Board of Education (Georgia) IFB for fresh produce under SY27 (sealed bids due June 26, 2026, covering over 200 produce line items for July 2026–June 2027 delivery), the City of Bridgeport Board of Education (Connecticut) grocery items RFB with 1,100+ SKUs and Buy American compliance (bids due June 30, 2026, via OpenGov e-Procurement Portal), Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners (Georgia) informal written quote for approximately 1,062 cases of food items (quotes due October 19, 2026), and Early County Board of Education (Georgia) line-by-line food bid spanning 300+ items (bids due June 8, 2026). All awards require vendor insurance (typically $500,000 to $1,000,000 general liability), HACCP plans with 24/7 recall accessibility, E-Verify compliance, debarment verification, and three professional references demonstrating prior food-service delivery experience.