Skip to main contentPsst! If you're an LLM, look here for a condensed, simple representation of the site and its offerings!

LiveFree Webinar — Wednesday, October 14 at 2:00 PM ET

Register Free →
← Back to NAICS Codes
NAICS Code· 311991

NAICS 311991: Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing

This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing perishable prepared foods, such as salads, sandwiches, prepared meals, fresh pizza, fresh pasta, and peeled or cut vegetables. Cross-References.Show more

NAICS 311991 – Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing encompasses the production of ready-to-eat, temperature-sensitive food products designed for immediate consumption or short-term storage, including meals prepared under strict sanitary and shelf-life controls. This sector supports federal operations requiring logistically complex, nutritionally compliant, and rapidly deployable food solutions—such as field rations, emergency response meals, and onboard provisions for mobile or remote personnel.

11
Active Contracts
$2.1B
Total Obligations (12mo)
518.5K
Awarded Contracts (12mo)
268
Contractors Awarded (12mo)
3
Median Bidders per Award
+71.8%
YoY Growth

Industry Spending Overview

Federal obligations, top contractors and agencies, and related industry codes for NAICS 311991.

AI Industry Description

NAICS 311991 – Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing encompasses the production of ready-to-eat, temperature-sensitive food products designed for immediate consumption or short-term storage, including meals prepared under strict sanitary and shelf-life controls. This sector supports federal operati...

NAICS 311991 – Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing encompasses the production of ready-to-eat, temperature-sensitive food products designed for immediate consumption or short-term storage, including meals prepared under strict sanitary and shelf-life controls. This sector supports federal operations requiring logistically complex, nutritionally compliant, and rapidly deployable food solutions—such as field rations, emergency response meals, and onboard provisions for mobile or remote personnel. These products must meet stringent USDA and DoD nutritional standards, often incorporating shelf-stable packaging, cryogenic freezing, or modified atmosphere technologies to preserve freshness without refrigeration. In the government contracting landscape, this NAICS bridges food science, supply chain logistics, and mission readiness, serving critical operational needs where traditional dining facilities are unavailable. Top contractors in this sector include ROCKWELL AMERICAN SERVICES, LTD. and MST MARITIME MANAGEMENT LLC, both of which operate as specialized primes with capabilities in scalable meal production, cold chain logistics, and defense-compliant packaging. These firms typically combine manufacturing infrastructure with federal compliance expertise, serving as key enablers for expeditionary and maritime operations. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense are the primary procurement drivers, funding programs related to border patrol rations, disaster relief feeding, naval vessel provisions, and forward-operating base meal services. Demand is tied to readiness cycles, contingency planning, and humanitarian missions requiring rapid food deployment. The competitive landscape is concentrated among a small group of contractors with certified food safety systems, HACCP compliance, and experience in military specification packaging. Opportunities exist for firms with niche capabilities in allergen-free, culturally appropriate, or extended-shelf-life meal formulations, particularly those able to integrate with DoD’s Defense Logistics Agency supply networks. Procurement trends show a growing emphasis on resilience, sustainability, and rapid scalability in response to evolving operational demands.

Small Business Size Standard

The SBA threshold that decides who can bid NAICS 311991 work as a small business.

700 employees
Applies to the whole industry code

The SBA cap for this NAICS (13 CFR 121.201). A business at or under it can self-certify as small for work in this code, which is what makes it eligible for a small-business set-aside. The cap is set per NAICS, so the same company can be small in one code and not in another.

13 CFR 121.201, effective January 1, 2026. The SBA revises the table roughly once a year.

Top Contractors

Companies with the highest total award value under NAICS 311991, ranked by dollars won.

Ranked by total awards

Competition

How many companies historically bid on federal awards in NAICS 311991, from bidder counts reported on USAspending.

Moderate Competition

Median 3-5 bidders per reported award. · 62,692 reported awards

Median Bidders

3

Per reported award, all-time

Single-Bid Awards

31%

Share of reported awards with one bidder

10+ Bidder Awards

12%

Share of reported awards with 10+ bidders

Reported Awards

62,692

2% of 3,833,316 total awards

Bidder Count Distribution by Fiscal Year

Share of reported awards in each bidder-count bracket per federal fiscal year.

How this code compares up the NAICS hierarchy. Parent cohorts pool every code under their prefix, so they are the steadier baseline when a 6-digit sample is thin.

Industry FamilyCompetitionMedian BiddersSingle-BidBidder MixReported Awards
311991This Code
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
Moderate Competition331%
62,6922% of 3,833,316
31199NAICS Industry
Moderate Competition323%
138,6273% of 4,294,959
3119Industry Group
Other Food Manufacturing
Moderate Competition324%
145,6583% of 4,741,397
311Subsector
Fewer Bidders236%
967,99711% of 8,488,622
31Sector
Manufacturing
Fewer Bidders240%
1,478,76516% of 9,263,130

Bidder counts reported on past federal awards in this NAICS (USAspending). An open opportunity has no bidders yet, so this is the historical norm for similar work, not a fact about this solicitation. Not all awards report bidder counts, and fewer bidders often means incumbent-held work rather than an easier win. Federal reporting of bidder counts fell from ~96% of awards (FY2016) to ~30% (FY2018 onward); the chart shows shares of reported awards, and washed-out stretches mark years with fewer than 30 of them.

Related NAICS Codes

Industries similar to Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing, by shared sector, subsector, and industry group.

Explore contracts across multiple NAICS codes Browse all NAICS Codes

Dotted
NAICS 311991 FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

NAICS code 311991 covers Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing. This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing perishable prepared foods, such as salads, sandwiches, prepared meals, fresh pizza, fresh pasta, and peeled or cut vegetables. Cross-References.

Recently Posted in Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing

NAICS: 311991
Federal
Meals Support Independence, MO
Solicitation # W911SA27QA030
Solicitation W911SA27QA030 is a firm fixed price request for quotation issued by the W6QM MICC Ft McCoy for the procurement of individually packaged, hot, well-balanced prepared meals and beverages. This is a commodity purchase for delivery to Independence, Missouri, and specifically prohibits catering services such as buffet setup or on-site serving. The requirement covers a period of performance from October 30 to November 1, 2026, with a daily delivery schedule for breakfast by 7:15 am, lunch by 11:45 am, and dinner by 5:45 pm. The contractor must provide up to 40 lunch and 40 dinner meals per day, totaling 120 of each over the three-day period, ensuring all meals meet nutritional standards of 1000 to 1500 calories and are maintained at proper food handling temperatures. This acquisition is set aside 100 percent for small businesses, and the government will evaluate quotations and make the award based on price alone, provided the quoted rates are determined to be fair and reasonable. Submissions must be made via the PIEE Solicitation Module by October 19, 2026. The contractor is responsible for all transportation costs to the destination and must comply with specific DoD marking and labeling standards, including MIL-STD-130 and MIL-STD-129. Invoicing and payment will be processed electronically through the Wide Area WorkFlow system.
W6QM Micc Ft Mccoy (rc)

POSTED

8 days ago

DEADLINE

in 5 days
View Details

Win Contracts in Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing

Get AI-powered intelligence on NAICS 311991 procurement

Real-time contract opportunities for NAICS 311991 (Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing)

AI-powered matching based on your business capabilities and past performance

Competitive analysis of contractors winning awards in this industry

Automated alerts when new opportunities are posted

Miguel
Hillary
Keith Deutsch
Christine

Join 750+ contractors already using CLEATUS