UNSPSC 50521707: Non GMO gros michel bananas

The variety of non GMO bananas known as non GMO gros michel bananas. This means that they are produced without the use of methods that genetically modify organisms by means that are not possible under natural conditions. Such methods include cell fusion, microencapsulation and macro-encapsulation, and recombinant DNA technology (including gene deletion, gene doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes when achieved by recombinant DNA technology).

Traditional methods of breeding, conjugation, fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or tissue culture are considered to be non-GMO.

UNSPSC 50521707 Non GMO Gros Michel Bananas is a Commodity code tracking a narrow and specialized product category — petite bananas specifically — that state and local governments procure almost exclusively through school nutrition programs serving students in elementary and secondary schools. The recent solicitation activity shows that school districts source bananas as part of broader fresh-produce buys for meal service and federally funded fresh-fruit-and-vegetable programs, but the Commodity code itself captures only the Gros Michel variety in small format. State and local food-service procurement is dominated by school districts of varying size, from independent districts serving 20,000 students across multiple campuses (McAllen, Austin) to county-consolidated systems serving smaller populations (Madison, Hancock, Liberty, Glynn, Muscogee, Savannah-Chatham). A single dedicated solicitation under this code appears in the recent block — Madison Metropolitan School District's RFB 4162 for petite bananas, posted July 8, 2026, with bids due July 29, 2026, seeking 70–90 cases weekly during school sessions and projecting $78,000 annual contract value for September 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The district specifies 5" to 5.5" units in 150-count case packs at ripeness stages 3.5 through 4.5 per Chiquita color standards, early-morning delivery to a single production center, 98 percent fill-rate guarantees, and HACCP plan submission before award.

Geographic activity is concentrated in the Southeast, with the Madison solicitation anchoring Wisconsin and the broader produce-procurement landscape showing strong activity in Georgia (Hancock County, Bartow County, Liberty County, Glynn County, Muscogee County, Savannah-Chatham County, Douglas County cooperative). Texas districts (McAllen, Austin) round out the geographic profile. The code shows sparse dedicated activity — one single-item banana solicitation in the recent block — because bananas typically appear as line items within comprehensive fresh-produce or food-service RFBs, RFPs, and ITBs rather than as standalone Commodity-level procurements. School districts are the primary and nearly exclusive buyer type, and the procurement vehicle is standard RFB (request for bid) or competitive ITB (invitation for bid) format with nine-month to twelve-month contract terms and renewal options. Evaluation typically weights cost heavily (40 percent in Madison's case) alongside vendor qualifications, insurance, and food-safety compliance including HACCP plans and product traceability. Pursuit under this code is viable only for vendors prepared to serve school nutrition programs on a weekly basis with strict ripeness and size specifications, cold-chain management, and administrative overhead including diverse-owned-business status documentation and affirmative-action compliance.