UNSPSC 50585706: Non GMO irish moss

The variety of Non GMO sea vegetables known as Non GMO irish moss. 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 50585706 Non GMO irish moss is a Commodity code with minimal recent state and local procurement activity. The code nominally describes a specific food ingredient — non-GMO Irish moss (carrageenan source) — but the recent opportunities posted under it cover broad-based fresh produce, eggs, and child nutrition grocery procurement rather than the narrow commodity itself. Early County Board of Education's RFY27 Food Bid (due June 8, 2026) and Northside Independent School District's fresh produce RFP (due May 7, 2026) are representative of the activity tagged to this code, though neither solicitation explicitly names Irish moss as a line item. The actual purchasing appears to span general fresh produce supply (fruits, vegetables, eggs) for school nutrition programs and state food service operations across multiple issuing bodies — primarily independent school districts and county school systems supplemented by state departments of education.

School districts dominate the issuing-body mix, with recent activity from Early County Board of Education (Georgia), Northside Independent School District (Texas), Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida), Bulloch County School District (Georgia), Rockwood R-VI School District (Missouri), Liberty County Board of Education (Georgia), Muscogee County School District (Georgia), Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (Georgia), Glynn County Board of Education (Georgia), McAllen Independent School District (Texas), Austin Independent School District (Texas), and the Douglas County School System (Georgia) through the GEC Buying Cooperative. Geographic concentration is heaviest in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida and Missouri. The typical procurement spans 60 to 300+ line items (fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy, grains, condiments), delivered weekly or twice weekly to school campuses between 6:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., under firm fixed-price or cost-plus contracts running July 1 through June 30 with renewal options. Most solicitations use ITB or RFP notice types with response dates typically 30 to 60 days from posting; the Douglas County GEC Buying Cooperative RFP (due March 4, 2026) aggregated purchasing across 30 school districts with estimated annual spend of $5.5 million combined. Vendors must carry general liability and workers' compensation insurance, maintain HACCP certification, comply with Buy American provisions, and meet USDA food safety standards. No set-asides specific to disadvantaged enterprises are noted across the opportunities; however, several districts (Austin ISD, McAllen ISD) explicitly encourage small, local, and minority-owned business participation.