UNSPSC 50584900: Non GMO nightshades

The type of Non GMO vegetable known as Non GMO nightshades. 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 50584900 Non GMO nightshades, a Class code, does not align with the state and local procurement activity currently tagged to it. The recent opportunities associated with this code show no meaningful solicitation of non-GMO nightshade products—tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or other solanaceae—as distinct procurement categories.

The opportunities present in the dataset are overwhelmingly school nutrition and food service procurements for general fresh produce, complete grocery assortments, and beverages. School districts across Georgia, Texas, Missouri, and Florida are issuing RFPs, IFBs, and ITBs for comprehensive produce lines (apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, citrus, berries, and prepared items) and institutional food supplies. Representative recent solicitations include Early County Board of Education's line-by-line food and non-food bid due June 8, 2026 (approximately 300+ food items plus 60 non-food supplies for the National School Lunch Program); Northside Independent School District's RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce due May 7, 2026, serving 127 schools across San Antonio; Hillsborough County Public Schools' cost-plus Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program contract due March 11, 2026, for specialty produce delivery to 18 elementary schools; and Douglas County School System's multi-district RFP SN 26-004 through the GEC Buying Cooperative for produce and eggs across 30 Georgia school districts, with estimated annual spending of $4.4 million for one geographic area alone. Issuing bodies span state education departments, county school boards, independent school districts, and cooperative purchasing vehicles serving multiple districts. The procurement is fragmented across numerous jurisdictions rather than concentrated among a few repeat buyers, though school nutrition programs dominate the activity.

Geographic activity concentrates in Georgia, Texas, and Missouri, with additional opportunities in Florida. The code as currently assigned does not capture the actual procurement pattern—state and local buyers are not requesting non-GMO nightshade products as a specialized category but rather purchasing nightshades (primarily tomatoes and peppers) as components of broader fresh-produce or complete grocery solicitations alongside dozens of other commodity lines. No recent opportunities explicitly specify non-GMO certification as a requirement or differentiation criterion. The mismatch between code scope and actual buying behavior suggests either miscoding in the source data or minimal market adoption of non-GMO nightshade procurement as a distinct line item in institutional food service.