UNSPSC 50586204: Non GMO garnet sweet potatoes

The variety of Non GMO sweet potatoes known as Non GMO garnet sweet potatoes. 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 50586204 Non GMO garnet sweet potatoes is a Commodity code that classifies a single fresh produce line item within school nutrition and institutional food service procurement. State and local governments buy this code as a component of broader fresh produce contracts supporting child nutrition programs, farm-to-school initiatives, and general school food service operations. Sweet potatoes appear as line items within larger solicitations that bundle multiple produce categories, pricing, and delivery terms into annual contracts. The issuing bodies are predominantly school districts and county boards of education, occasionally supported by state agencies conducting food procurement. These jurisdictions solicit produce through RFPs, RFQs, IFBs, and ITBs with emphasis on USDA compliance, Buy American provisions, HACCP certification, domestic sourcing preferences, and line-item competitive bidding that allows award to multiple vendors based on lowest responsive pricing.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia and Texas school districts. The Bulloch County School District issued an RFP (PE55612NONST2027000000031) for fresh, locally-grown produce including sweet potatoes for the 2026–2027 fiscal year with proposals due May 4, 2026; the IFB specified sweet potatoes at $2.00 per pound based on historical pricing from the prior year. The Douglas County School System procured fresh produce and eggs through a cooperative buying vehicle (SN 26-004) for 30 school districts across Georgia with annual spending of approximately $4.4 million for Area One, responding to proposals by March 4, 2026. The State of Georgia issued IFB #4 (PE68504NONST2026000000006) for fresh produce with proposals due May 27, 2026, supporting state operations. Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas solicited fresh produce for child nutrition through RFP 2026-048 with proposals due May 7, 2026, and Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida issued an RFP (26039RFPDST) for the federally funded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program serving 18 elementary schools with an estimated annual budget of $600,000 and proposals due March 11, 2026. Sweet potatoes do not appear as a standalone commodity procurement; the code is relevant only within multi-item produce contracts where vendors quote unit pricing alongside dozens of other fresh fruits and vegetables to meet school menu requirements.