Lentils

Lentils split into red and green trades that behave differently. Red lentils are decorticated and split, sold on colour standard, split percentage and size screen, and go overwhelmingly into dal and prepared-food manufacture. Green lentils are sold whole by size class (large, medium and small) and the class determines whether the lentil holds shape in cooking or breaks down.

Specifying "lentils" without the type and, for green, the size class leaves the most important variable open. Two containers correctly described by category can behave completely differently in the same application.

Saskatchewan grows the bulk of the crop with a single annual harvest, so quality varies between seasons and contracting behaviour follows the crop year rather than a rolling supply.