UNSPSC 50593303: Dried Non GMO watercress

The variety of Non GMO cresses known as Non GMO watercress that has been dried 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 50593303 Dried Non GMO watercress, a Commodity code, sees minimal direct procurement activity in recent state and local opportunities. The code describes a highly specialized agricultural product—dried, non-genetically-modified watercress—yet the recent solicitations in this category do not align with the specific commodity. Instead, state and local buyers tagging opportunities under this code are procuring broad food and nutrition services, with watercress appearing only incidentally within much larger fresh produce or grocery contracts if at all. The actual buying under this code encompasses comprehensive school nutrition programs, senior meal services, institutional food supply and distribution, and K-12 grocery delivery, where watercress would be one line item among dozens or hundreds of produce and food products. Issuing bodies include school districts (Fairfax County Public Schools, Douglas County School System, Bridgeport Board of Education, Hancock County Board of Education, Bulloch County Board of Education, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, Meriden Public Schools, and Pascagoula-Gautier School District), state health and human services agencies (Texas Health and Human Services Commission), counties (Hillsborough County), and municipalities (City of Dallas, City of Meriden). These are large-scale procurement operations requiring compliance with Buy American provisions, USDA nutrition standards, HACCP food safety protocols, and comprehensive insurance.

Geographic activity concentrates in the Southeast, with particular density in Georgia (Douglas County, Bulloch County, Savannah-Chatham County) and Florida (Hillsborough County), alongside opportunities in Connecticut (Bridgeport, Meriden), Mississippi (Pascagoula-Gautier), Virginia (Fairfax County), and Texas (Dallas, El Paso). Representative recent procurements include Fairfax County Public Schools' Master Grocery K-12 IFB (IFB 2000004323, due April 27, 2026) for grocery delivery to 45 schools and seven distribution kitchens, the City of Bridgeport's grocery items bid for the Board of Education (BNB052266, due June 30, 2026) supporting the National School Lunch Program with over 1,100 line items, Hancock County Board of Education's fresh produce IFB (IFB #SN002-2027, due June 26, 2026) spanning over 200 produce line items, and Hillsborough County's senior meal preparation and delivery services (ITB-26-00289, due June 25, 2026) valued at $17.8 million over three years. These solicitations uniformly require firm fixed pricing, prepaid freight, Monday-to-Friday delivery windows, and vendor participation in electronic ordering systems. The code shows no current targeting of dried watercress specifically; pursuing opportunities here requires participation in large grocery or produce contracts where dried specialty vegetables represent a minor commodity line.