UNSPSC 50586857: Non GMO taro shoot

The variety of Non GMO vegetable known as Non GMO taro shoot. 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 50586857 Non GMO taro shoot is a Commodity code that sees limited recent state and local procurement activity. The code nominally describes a single agricultural commodity—taro shoots specified as non-genetically modified—but the recent opportunities tagged under it reflect broader school nutrition and fresh produce procurement rather than taro specifically. State and local buyers soliciting fresh produce for child nutrition programs (school districts, primarily) use wide-ranging produce categories in their RFPs and IFBs, and taro does not appear as a line item in any of the posted solicitations. The issuing bodies are predominantly school districts and school nutrition programs across multiple states, reflecting the institutional food service market as the primary buyer for produce-category procurement.

Recent activity centers on Georgia, Texas, and Florida school districts competing for multi-vendor fresh produce supply contracts. Representative opportunities include the Early County Board of Education (Georgia) requesting line-by-line bids for food and non-food products supporting the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program (due June 8, 2026, IFB format); Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, soliciting sealed bids for fresh produce delivery to all district campuses five days per week (due May 7, 2026, RFP format); Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida, seeking vendors for the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program serving elementary schools (due March 11, 2026, RFP format); and the Douglas County School System in Georgia issuing an RFP through the GEC Buying Cooperative for fresh produce and eggs serving 30 school districts across two geographic areas (due March 4, 2026, with estimated annual spending of $4.4 million for Area One and $1.1 million for Area Two). The code shows no recent activity specific to taro, and procurement professionals should note the substantial mismatch between the commodity name and actual buying patterns under this classification.