Commingling Lots
Commingling combines several lots of the same product into one lot. It keeps inventory simple when lots from different growers or harvest days end up in the same bin, bag or order. It also changes two things you should understand first: traceability and cost.
Example: combining two lots of littlenecks
Two lots of Little Necks arrived on the same day from different growers and were commingled into one lot, BL-26309-73Y:
| Source lot | Grower | Harvest area | Harvest date | Quantity | Cost | Cost each |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL-26309-C21 | Acadian Grower #1 | Cape Cod Bay, MA (CCB31) | Nov 4 | 25 | $2.50 | $0.10 |
| BL-26309-YGN | Acadian Grower #2 | Cape Cod Bay, MA (NB 12345) | Nov 4 | 40 | $6.00 | $0.15 |
| Commingled lot BL-26309-73Y | Both areas | Nov 3 and Nov 4 | 65 | $8.50 | $0.13 |
What Happens to Traceability:
The commingled lot gets one new lot code. It carries every harvest area and harvest date from its source lots. In this example, the commingled lot lists both Cape Cod Bay and New Brunswick, and both Nov 3 and Nov 4.
Any sale from the commingled lot traces back to both growers. If either harvest area is closed or recalled, the whole commingled lot is affected, including the clams from the other grower. On the tag, the product shows both harvest areas and dates.
What Happens to Cost:
Every piece in the commingled lot takes the same blended cost. That cost is the total cost of all source lots divided by the total quantity. Here, $8.50 ÷ 65 = $0.13 each. The cheaper Cape Cod clams ($0.10) and the pricier New Brunswick clams ($0.15) are now priced as one.
When to commingle
- Do: combine lots of the same item and size that are physically mixed together.
- Don’t: commingle lots from different harvest areas unless you need to. Keeping them separate keeps a recall or closure narrow.
- Keep in mind: your shellfish tags must list every harvest area and date in the commingled lot.