UNSPSC 50301707: Gros michel bananas

The variety of bananas known as gros michel bananas

UNSPSC 50301707 Gros michel bananas is a Commodity code. State and local governments procure bananas and other fresh produce under this code primarily for institutional food service — school nutrition programs, correctional facilities, mental health centers, senior services, child care programs, and parks-and-recreation concessions. Recent solicitations show that while bananas appear as line items across multi-produce bids, specialized banana procurements are less common; the code spans the full range of fresh-fruit purchasing, from single-commodity contracts (petite bananas, weekly deliveries) to broad grocery and produce aggregations serving hundreds of meals daily. Issuing bodies include state departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Mental Health), school districts (Madison Metropolitan, Bryan County, DeSoto County, Dougherty County, Early County, Hancock County, Bartow County, and others), county commissioners (Collier County), cities (Bridgeport, San Antonio, Edinburg), and specialized procurement entities (Head Start programs, senior services divisions, health-care coalitions). School districts represent the dominant buyer category, with food-service operations spanning K–12 nutrition programs, many tied to federal meal subsidies (USDA National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program). Corrections and mental-health facilities are steady secondary buyers.

Recent activity clusters in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, Connecticut, Mississippi, and California — with particular concentration in Georgia school districts (Bryan County, Dougherty County, Hancock County, Bartow County, Early County) and Texas TDCJ food warehouses. Representative recent opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District (RFB 4162, petite bananas, 70–90 cases weekly, $78,000 estimated annual value, bids due July 29, 2026), DeSoto County School District (fresh produce distribution, bi-annual cost-plus-fee model, 41 school sites, bids due June 22, 2026), Illinois Department of Corrections at Joliet Treatment Center (RFQ 27426DOCJOLIEB53849, bi-weekly fresh-produce delivery with small business set-aside, quotes due September 3, 2026), and Texas Department of Criminal Justice (IFB IW267420 and IW267411 for fresh fruit and vegetables to food warehouses, responses due October 14, 2026). Contracts typically run annual cycles (July through June) with multi-year renewal options, mandate domestic sourcing under Buy American provisions or local-distance preferences, require HACCP compliance and food-safety certifications, and feature competitive low-bid award criteria weighted alongside diverse-business status and past performance. Delivery frequency ranges from twice weekly to twice monthly, with early-morning windows standard (5:00–7:00 a.m. or similar) to support breakfast and lunch service startup.