Food and Beverage Software

Food and beverage manufacturers and distributors face a variety of unique challenges. The combination of shelf space constraints, changing consumer demand, and ever increasing government regulation and recall concerns is forcing food producers and their food distribution partners to shift from entry-level food software to more robust ERP solutions.

From small, family-owned producers of ethnic foods to large, publically held conglomerates, the food industry is diverse. While the sizes of these companies vary, the software requirements of food producers and food distribution companies do not. They all must be able to efficiently manage their manufacturing process and distribution channel, and safely produce products, while staying in full compliance with government regulations. From forward and backward lot tracking, to rigid recall management and audit controls, food processors must have robust ERP software with functionality that is specific to their industry.

Food and Beverage Software Requirements

  • Process manufacturing software capabilities
  • Formulations and recipes
  • Scalable batches
  • Yielding
  • Flexible units of measures
  • Multiple packaging options per SKU
  • Bi-directional lot control and tracking
  • Product grades
  • Expiration date tracking
  • Recall management
  • Commodity pricing
  • Route accounting
  • EDI
  • Bar-coding and RFID
  • Audit trails and reporting

This table identifies the generalized functional strengths of each of the listed ERP solutions for distribution within the food and beverage industry. Our ERP software selection process leverages more detailed information from our database to conduct a more thorough assessment of software fit with each client’s business requirements.

ERP Software Packages for Food and Beverage Distribution

Food and Beverage
Software Functionality		 IBS Apprise NetSuite ERP/CRM Batchmaster Food Infor Sx Ross Enterprise
General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable High High High High High High
Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) High High High High High High
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) High High Medium High High High
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) High High High High High High
PM High High High High High High
Usability High High High High High High
Advance Shipment Notice (ASN) High High Medium High High High
Auto Pricing and Auto Scheduling High High High High High High
Bar Code Capability High High High High High High
Document Management System Medium High High High Medium High
Contract Manufacturing High High High High High High
Contract Warehousing, Inventory Management and Tracking High High High High High High
Sales Forecasting High High High High High High
Sales Planning High High High High High High
Salesforce Management and Tracking Medium Medium High Low High High
Product Management and Tracking High High High High High High
Commission Management High High High High High High
Account Management and Tracking High High High High High High
Marketing Promotion Campaign Planning High Medium High Medium High High
Promotion Management and Tracking High Medium High High High High
Discount and Rebate Processing High High High High High High
Regulatory Compliance (FDA, etc.) High Low High Low High
Label Management High Medium High High Medium Medium
Quality Systems – Lot Tracking, Batch Traceability, Recall Management High High High High High High
CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action) High Low High Low High
Customer Feedback Tracking High High High High High High
Reporting for Finance and Accounting in the Food Distribution Industry High High High High High High

Disclaimer: For illustrative purposes only. Assessment for your unique needs may vary based on specific business processes and requirements. You will want to develop more detailed requirements as part of your software evaluation and selection process.

Panorama’s ERP consultants provide a complete service offering that can assist your organization throughout the process of ERP selection, ERP implementation and organizational change management.

Our consultants are aware of the potential pitfalls of ERP selection projects and can help hedge against project cost overruns, software that is misaligned with business needs, and lack of return on investment. The ERP team has industry-specific expertise that helps achieve measurable business improvements.

Recent Articles and News Related to Food and Beverage Software