UNSPSC 50405311: Red baron onions

The variety of onions known as red baron onions

UNSPSC 50405311 Red baron onions, a Commodity code, encompasses fresh onion varieties sourced and delivered to state and local food service operations, school nutrition programs, and child care facilities. State and local governments procure onions as part of broader produce and grocery procurement for institutional meal service, alongside other fresh vegetables and fruits. Recent solicitations show onions moving through school district nutrition programs (elementary through high school), institutional food service for criminal justice facilities, senior services, and USDA-funded child nutrition initiatives such as the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program. The issuing bodies span school districts of varying sizes (from small rural districts to large metropolitan systems), state departments of criminal justice, county boards of education, city senior services, and nonprofit child care networks. Onions typically appear as line items within larger produce or grocery bids rather than as standalone procurements, reflecting their status as a staple vegetable in institutional meal planning. Set-asides and preferences vary by jurisdiction—some solicitations include local-sourcing preferences (typically 200–400 miles), diverse-owned business preferences (5–15% scoring weight where designated), and Texas vendor preferences under state procurement rules.

Georgia, Texas, and Florida dominate recent posting activity, with substantial procurement volume from school districts in those states and from TDCJ in Texas. Representative recent opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4163 (posted July 8, 2026, due July 29, 2026) seeking approximately 5,900 servings weekly of ready-to-eat fresh fruits and vegetables sourced within 400 miles of Madison and within Wisconsin, with 5% preference for diverse-owned vendors and organic produce receiving a $0.20 per-pound price preference; Bartow County School System's RFP 10-2026-019 (posted May 21, 2026, due June 22, 2026) requesting local fresh fruits and vegetables within 400 miles with 30-point cost weighting and 25-point scoring for seasonal variety; and Glynn County Board of Education's IFB 27-02 (posted March 16, 2026, due April 14, 2026) seeking 60 produce line items including onions among fresh fruits and vegetables for 16 school locations. TDCJ has solicited white potatoes and carrots through multiple IFBs in June 2026 (IW253099, IW253079, IW253121) for canning and institutional food service, establishing significant bulk-quantity precedent. Head Start of Greater Dallas' IFB 26-GP (posted June 24, 2026, due June 24, 2026) sought primary, secondary, and tertiary produce suppliers for approximately 32,409 cases of frozen and fresh products supporting child care for ages 6 weeks to 5 years, with $969,460.94 estimated procurement value and CACFP compliance required. Meriden Public Schools' RFP 026-41 (posted March 3, 2026, due February 25, 2026) valued the 2026-2027 school year fresh produce supply at approximately $3,100,000. Douglas County School System's RFP SN 26-004 (posted February 4, 2026, due March 4, 2026) on behalf of the GEC Buying Cooperative estimated approximately $4.4 million (Area One, 18 districts) and $1.1 million (Area Two, 12 districts) annual spending for produce and eggs across 30 school districts.