Food and beverage manufacturers are accustomed to the pressures of changing tastes and customer preferences. In addition to seasonal trends, there seems to be a trend toward organic and other more natural, chemicalfree food and beverages. In order to gear up for organic and other industry trends, you need the support and visibility offered in a robust, integrated, business management solution.

As discussed in “Packaged Facts: A Third of Canadians Regularly Purchase Natural & Organic Foods and Beverages,” posted by PR Newswire on BizJournals.com, Canadians are showing a clear preference for certified organic foods and beverages and this trends seems to be on the rise. A study conducted by market research firm, Packaged Facts, revealed that of the one third of Canadians interested in organic products, 75% agreed that non-GMO groceries were important and nearly 59% indicated that they sought foods with nutrients that target specific health concerns. In addition, approximately 20% of adults under the age of 44 regularly buy organic groceries, indicating that Millennials could influence future sales growth.

A robust enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, such as Sage® ERP, can provide the control and insight you need to adjust business operations and take advantage of food trends. This comprehensive solution offers time-saving automations, quick access to all of your core business data, and the real-time visibility needed to respond quickly to changes in the food and beverage industry. You can manage financials, supply chain, inventory, manufacturing and distribution operations, as well as human resources and payroll activities with Sage ERP. Built-in business intelligence can highlight trends such as seasonal fluctuations or other customer buying behaviors. With this insight, you can adjust production planning, manage batch or continuous process recipes based on incoming materials, and remain compliant with ever-changing governmental regulations. Sage ERP also offers electronic data interchange (EDI) for case or pallet tagging, including radio frequency and electronic product codes. You can track inventory and products throughout your facility and also as your products enter the marketplace. This level of insight can minimize production errors and waste as well as position your business to respond faster to recalls or regulatory issues.

Be ready when customer tastes change. Contact IWI Consulting Group for more information about using ERP to prepare your business for organic or other food trends and continue to satisfy your customers.

By IWI Consulting Group, Sage Authorized Partner in Canada