UNSPSC 50304622: Ida pride melons

The variety of melons known as ida pride melons

UNSPSC 50304622 Ida pride melons, a Commodity code, captures procurement of fresh produce — melons, bananas, apples, berries, leafy greens, root vegetables, and other fresh fruits and vegetables — for institutional food service. State and local governments buy under this code primarily to stock correctional facilities, mental health centers, school nutrition programs, senior services, and child care operations. Issuing bodies include state departments of corrections and mental health, school districts, county and city governments, and nonprofit Head Start programs. Texas Department of Criminal Justice dominates recent activity with multiple solicitations for fresh fruit and vegetable supply to food warehouses serving prison populations; school districts in Georgia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi, and Connecticut are frequent buyers seeking produce for National School Lunch Program compliance. Quantities and specifications vary sharply by customer type — prisons typically order bulk produce through centralized food warehouses, while school districts specify detailed line-item counts across multiple apple varieties, berries, root vegetables, and leafy greens with delivery schedules timed to meal preparation. Many jurisdictions impose domestic sourcing preferences (Buy American provisions requiring 51 percent domestic content or local-farm sourcing within 400 miles) and emphasize USDA compliance, food safety certification, HACCP plans, and temperature-controlled delivery.

Recent activity concentrates in the South and Midwest. Texas Department of Criminal Justice has posted multiple IFB and RFP notices since late September 2026 — solicitation IW267376 for fresh fruit and vegetable supply to Palestine, Texas (due October 19, 2026) and IW267420 and IW267411 for Snyder and Wynne food warehouses (due October 14, 2026) — all managed through the Bonfire portal. Georgia school districts are active across the summer and early fall: Hancock County Board of Education (IFB SN002-2027, due June 26, 2026), Dougherty County Board of Education (sealed bids due June 16, 2026), Bartow County School System (RFP 10-2026-019, due June 22, 2026), and Bryan County Schools (sealed bid due May 27, 2026) solicited produce with local-sourcing and Buy American preferences. Illinois Department of Corrections (Joliet Treatment Center, RFQ 27426DOCJOLIEB53849, due September 3, 2026) and Illinois Department of Mental Health (Madden Mental Health Center, RFQ 27444DHSMENTHB53608, due August 14, 2026) both sought fresh produce under small-purchase or small-business set-asides. Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin issued dual RFBs for petite bananas (RFB 4162, due July 29, 2026, $78,000 estimated value) and fresh fruit and vegetable snacks (RFB 4163, due July 29, 2026, with 5% diverse-owned business preference and 400-mile Wisconsin sourcing restriction). Connecticut, Texas, and Florida municipal and county entities — Bridgeport Board of Education (grocery items including produce, due June 30, 2026), City of Edinburg Texas (CACFP meal program, due August 4, 2026), and Collier County (North Collier Regional Park food services ITN, due March 6, 2025) — round out the geographic spread. Contracts typically run one school or fiscal year with renewal options; pricing is firm-fixed or cost-plus-fee depending on the buyer; and insurance requirements routinely demand $500,000 to $1,000,000 general liability and workers' compensation coverage.