UNSPSC 50304416: King mandarin oranges

The variety of mandarin oranges and tangerines known as king mandarin oranges

UNSPSC 50304416 King mandarin oranges is a Commodity code that captures fresh citrus fruit procurement for school nutrition programs, child care food services, and institutional food operations. State and local governments buying under this code are primarily sourcing fresh produce for federally funded meal programs—National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program—where citrus appears as a high-volume, year-round staple. Citrus procurement at this code level sits within larger fresh-produce and grocery-supply contracts rather than as a standalone line item; when mandarin oranges or similar citrus are specified, they typically anchor the fruit component of multi-item produce solicitations. School districts and food service authorities dominate the issuing-body mix, with sporadic involvement from city and county departments managing senior-meal or child-care services. The scope of work emphasizes compliance with USDA standards, Buy American provisions (requiring domestic sourcing where cost and quality permit), HACCP documentation, product traceability, food-safety certifications, and timely weekly delivery to multiple school sites or service locations, often with strict temperature and shelf-life requirements.

Geographic activity concentrates in the Southeast and Southwest, particularly Georgia, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and California, where recent fresh-produce procurement cycles align with school-year planning (RFPs and IFBs posted February through July 2026, with contract start dates of July 1, 2026). Representative recent solicitations include the GEC Buying Cooperative's statewide Georgia fresh-produce RFP (Douglas County School System administering SN 26-004, proposals due March 4, 2026, covering 30 districts across two geographic areas and estimated annual spending of approximately $5.5 million for produce and eggs combined), Hancock County Board of Education's IFB for over 200 line items of fresh produce including multiple citrus varieties (bids due June 26, 2026), Dougherty County Board of Education's sealed-bid procurement for 40 produce items serving 24 school sites (bids due June 16, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.), and Austin Independent School District's RFP 26RFP034 for fresh produce and beverages across all food-service locations (proposals due March 11, 2026). Activity remains brisk through mid-2026 as districts lock in supplier contracts for the 2026–2027 school year, with response deadlines clustered in March, April, May, and June 2026.