Why Food Manufacturers Need Different Software
You already know you need better software. The spreadsheets aren’t scaling. The paper batch records take longer to find than to fill in. The question isn’t whether you need an ERP system. The question is which kind.
The ERP market is dominated by platforms built for general manufacturing — companies that assemble parts, manage discrete inventory, and track serialised components. Food manufacturing works differently. You work with recipes that scale non-linearly. Ingredients that expire. Production that runs at 3am. Standing orders that change daily. Lot traceability requirements that regulators can demand within 24 hours.
The Capabilities That Matter
Recipe Management (Critical)
This is the single most important differentiator between a food manufacturing ERP and a generic one. General ERPs manage bills of materials — flat component lists with fixed quantities. Food recipes involve scaling factors, yield calculations, multi-stage production, and baker’s percentages.
Ask vendors: Does the system handle multi-stage recipes natively? Can I scale a recipe from test batch to full production? Does the recipe drive purchasing, costing, and labelling?
Lot Tracking and Traceability (Critical)
FSMA 204 requires specific Key Data Elements at each Critical Tracking Event. Forward and backward traces need to be fast — minutes, not hours.
Ask vendors: Can the system trace a finished product backward through every ingredient lot? How long does a complete trace take? Can it produce results in electronic, sortable format within 24 hours?
Production Planning (High)
Food production planning has unique constraints: continuous order arrival, daily standing order modifications, backward planning from delivery windows.
Ask vendors: Can the system generate a production plan from open orders and recipes automatically? Does it account for standing orders and cut-off times?
Regulatory Compliance (High)
HACCP, SQF, BRC, FSMA 204, allergen tracking, nutritional labelling — food manufacturers carry a compliance burden that general manufacturers don’t.
Ask vendors: Does the system generate batch records automatically? Does it track allergens at the recipe level? Can it produce audit-ready reports on demand?
Three Types of ERP for Food Manufacturers
Enterprise ERP Platforms
NetSuite, SAP Business One, Dynamics 365. Comprehensive scope but food-specific capabilities require configuration. Implementation timelines typically 3-12 months. First-year costs commonly $50,000 to $150,000+.
Food-Specific ERP
FlexiBake, Wherefour, Aptean Food & Beverage. Built specifically for food manufacturing. Fast implementation, lower cost, support teams who understand food operations. Narrower scope — integrate with accounting rather than replacing it.
Spreadsheets and Point Solutions
Low upfront cost, maximum flexibility. But no real-time data, no integrated traceability, no single source of truth. Operations hit a ceiling around 50-100 orders per day.
Questions to Ask Every Vendor
- How does your system handle multi-stage recipes with yield variations?
- Can you demonstrate a full forward-and-backward trace on live data?
- What does a typical implementation timeline look like for an operation my size?
- What’s the total first-year cost including implementation and training?
- How does your support model work? Can I call someone who understands food manufacturing?
- Can I see references from food manufacturers similar to my operation?