Insights for food manufacturers
Practical articles on production planning, lot tracking, compliance, food costing, and running your operation more efficiently.
How to Calculate Food Product Cost Per Unit
Most food manufacturers know their ingredient costs. Fewer account for yield loss, rework, and price volatility. This post walks through calculating actual cost per unit.
HACCP Documentation: What Food Manufacturers Need to Maintain
When the auditor arrives, it's not your process they evaluate first — it's your documentation. This post covers what HACCP requires and the records auditors look for.
How to Prepare for an FSMA 204 Audit in a Food Manufacturing Facility
FSMA 204 changed what auditors expect from food manufacturers. This post covers what the rule requires at audit time, where most operations fall short, and how to make preparation a non-event.
What Is Lot Tracking and Why Does It Matter for Food Manufacturers?
Lot tracking is the difference between a targeted recall response and a full-product recall. This post covers what it involves, why it matters more now, and how it works in practice.
How to Manage Ingredient Inventory in Food Manufacturing
Ingredient inventory is harder than finished goods inventory. This post covers the specific challenges, common failure modes, and practices that separate smooth operations from guesswork.
5 Signs Your Food Manufacturing Operation Has Outgrown Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets aren't bad tools. They're bad systems. This post covers the five signs that your food manufacturing operation has outgrown them.
Route Delivery vs Third-Party Shipping for Food Manufacturers
Do you add new accounts to your delivery routes or ship through a carrier? The answer depends on product, geography, and margins. This post breaks down the real costs.
Standing Orders: How Wholesale Bakeries Manage Recurring Orders
Standing orders represent 60-80% of daily production volume for most wholesale bakeries. This post covers what they involve, why they're harder than they look, and how to manage them.