NIGP 38547: Entrees, Specialty (Including Corn Dogs, Lasagna, Mexican Food, etc.)

NIGP 38547 Entrees, Specialty (Including Corn Dogs, Lasagna, Mexican Food, Etc.), Item code, covers prepared meal components and specialty food items that state and local governments procure for institutional feeding programs—school nutrition, senior congregate meal services, correctional facilities, state hospitals, and state supported living centers. Recent solicitations show procurement across frozen prepared entrees (burritos, corn dogs, lasagna, specialty proteins), alongside supporting groceries and meal assembly services, with buyers ranging from school districts and state health agencies to county corrections and senior services programs.

State and local purchasing under this code spans school districts (Tattnall County Board of Education, Northside Independent School District, Richmond County Board of Education, Effingham County Board of Education, Burke County Public Schools, New Haven Board of Education), state agencies (Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Illinois Veterans Home), county and municipal programs (Pasco County Senior Services, Hancock County Schools, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority), and community-based organizations (Head Start of Greater Dallas, Invest Atlanta food distribution). Geographic activity concentrates in Texas (HHSC multiple statewide procurements across El Paso, Big Spring, Mexia, estimated $9 million plus in annual frozen food procurement), Georgia (six school district bids across Tattnall, Colquitt, Early County, Effingham, Candler, Burke County), and dispersed activity in Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, and California. Representative recent opportunities include the Texas Health and Human Services Commission IFB HHS0017338 for frozen food products (106 line items including prepared entrees and specialty items, estimated annual volume $9 million, bids due August 18, 2026), the State of Illinois Chief Procurement Office weekly food orders for Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy under brand-or-equal and brand-specific specifications (RFQ due August 24, 2026), Northside Independent School District's IFB 2026-061 for food, catering, and prepared meals across 34 product categories including boxed lunches and prepared entrees (bids due June 11, 2026), and Pasco County's RFP-LK-26-045 for food production services supporting senior congregate meal programs with approximately 250 hot congregate meals and 750 frozen meals daily (proposals due June 9, 2026). School nutrition programs drive volume with recurring annual cycles tied to academic calendars; state institutional feeding (hospitals, living centers, correctional) generates steady year-round demand; and event-driven procurement (catering, emergency response, senior meal programs) adds episodic activity.