UNSPSC 50596318: Dried Non GMO red mar sweet potatoes

The variety of Non GMO sweet potatoes known as Non GMO red mar sweet potatoes that have 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 50596318 Dried Non GMO red mar sweet potatoes is a Commodity code that covers dehydrated sweet potato products used in institutional food service and school nutrition programs. State and local governments buy this item primarily as a component in bulk food procurement for schools, health and human services facilities, and senior meal programs operating under federal nutrition standards such as the National School Lunch Program and Adult Care Food Program. The code sits within a much broader family of dried and processed produce items that state and local buyers source for congregate meal service, emergency food supplies, and centralized kitchen operations. Issuing bodies include school districts, county boards of education, state health and human services agencies, and county commissioners' offices managing nutrition services for vulnerable populations. School nutrition departments emerge as the most frequent buyers, procuring across multiple product lines through annual or multi-year food service contracts that bundle fresh produce, frozen items, canned goods, and specialty ingredients under single RFP or IFB processes.

Recent activity is concentrated in the Southeast and reflects strong school district and state agency demand. The Hancock County Board of Education in Georgia posted an IFB for fresh produce spanning over 200 line items for the 2026–27 school year with bids due June 26, 2026; the City of Bridgeport Department of Public Purchases posted an RFB for over 1,100 grocery line items for the Bridgeport Board of Education with a June 30, 2026 deadline and Buy American provisions requiring 51 percent domestic agricultural content; the Texas Health and Human Services Commission posted an IFB for food and consumable products for the El Paso State Supported Living Center with bids due July 13, 2026 and a prior-period value of $1.5 million; and Hillsborough County, Florida posted an ITB for senior meal preparation and delivery services estimated at $17.8 million over three years. All contracts enforce Buy American requirements or domestic-content preferences, HACCP compliance, nutritional standards under federal child nutrition rules, delivery to multiple school or facility sites on firm fixed pricing with no fuel surcharges, and Net 30–45 payment terms. No recent solicitations explicitly named dried sweet potatoes as a line item; the code's relevance appears as a potential component within larger institutional grocery and produce contracts rather than as a standalone procurement category.