UNSPSC 50301714: Saba bananas

The variety of bananas known as saba bananas

UNSPSC 50301714 Saba bananas (Commodity) covers fresh banana procurement by state and local institutions, most prominently school districts and correctional and mental health facilities sourcing produce for food service programs. The code captures single-item banana specifications in school meals and institutional cafeterias — recent Madison Metropolitan School District procurement specified petite bananas in 150-count case packs, 5" to 5.5" in length, at ripeness stages 3.5 through 4.5 per Chiquita color standards, with 98 percent fill-rate minimums and internal temperatures of 55 degrees Fahrenheit or above on delivery. Issuers range across state corrections departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Department of Corrections), school nutrition programs (Madison Metropolitan, Hancock County Board of Education, Dougherty County Board of Education, Bryan County Schools), state mental health facilities, county and municipal health authorities, child care programs, and senior services divisions. School districts dominate the activity, particularly those managing National School Lunch Program or Child and Adult Care Food Program operations; correctional and mental health facilities constitute a secondary but consistent buyer class.

Recent solicitations cluster in the South and Midwest. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice issued three fresh fruit and vegetable solicitations in September and October 2026 (IW267420, IW267411, IW267376) for warehouse and facility distribution, while Illinois Department of Corrections and Department of Mental Health posted comparable produce procurements in August 2026 under small purchase authority. Georgia school districts—Bryan County, Hancock County, and Dougherty County—each bid fresh produce in May and June 2026 for school year 2026-2027 operations. Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin solicited petite bananas under RFB 4162 due July 29, 2026, projecting weekly usage of 70-90 cases at an estimated $78,000 annual contract value (September 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027), with deliveries to the Food Production Center Monday through Friday between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Evaluation on school bids typically weights cost at 40 percent, qualifications and experience at 15–20 percent, diverse-owned business status at 5 percent, and references at 10 percent; correctional and mental health procurement notices generally omit detailed evaluation criteria and contract terms from posted summaries.