UNSPSC 50301718: Isla bananas

Variety of bananas known as isla bananas

UNSPSC 50301718 Isla bananas (Commodity) represents a narrow product line within fresh-fruit procurement for institutional food service, where state and local governments buy single-unit or case-packed bananas—primarily petite or standard varieties—for school meal programs, correctional facilities, mental-health centers, senior services, child-care programs, and health-care entities. Recent solicitations show that purchasing departments specify ripeness stage, case configuration, internal temperature requirements, fill-rate minimums, and traceability or HACCP documentation. School districts dominate the buying base, particularly in Georgia and Texas, with emerging activity from state departments of corrections and mental health, county school boards, and municipal food-service operations. The work requires reliable logistics (early-morning deliveries, temperature control, rapid substitution protocols), product consistency meeting institutional specifications, and compliance with federal nutrition standards where applicable.

School districts across Georgia, Texas, and Wisconsin have driven recent activity under this code. Madison Metropolitan School District issued RFB 4162 for petite bananas (70–90 cases weekly, September 2026–June 2027, estimated $78,000 annual value) specifying 5"–5.5" length, ripeness stages 3.5–4.5 per Chiquita color guide, and 55-degree Fahrenheit minimum internal temperature on delivery to the Food Production Center between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, with bids due July 29, 2026. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has posted multiple fresh-fruit-and-vegetable solicitations (including supply to facilities in Palestine and Snyder) with October 2026 response dates. Hancock County Board of Education (Georgia) requested fresh-produce bids for the 2026–27 school year (June 26, 2026 deadline) covering over 200 line items including bananas, with delivery to three school sites and a July 2026–June 2027 contract term. Dougherty County Board of Education and Bartow County School System (both Georgia), Bryan County Schools (Georgia), and Early County Board of Education (Georgia) have each issued school-nutrition produce bids covering bananas as one line item among broader fresh-fruit categories, reflecting the commodity's integration into larger school-meal supply contracts rather than standalone procurement.