Food & Beverage Manufacturing

A food and beverage inventory software that complies with the strict regulations of the industry

Food and beverage manufacturing has strict compliance measures and is responsible for millions of products moving through the global supply chain. Fishbowl helps companies maintain compliance and navigate audits and recalls with meticulous detail.

two men checking bottles on production line

customers

Track, trace, and manage everything throughout your supply chain

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Quality & Safety Assurance

Maintain high standards, build trust with consumers, and stay audit ready

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Traceability

Follow ingredients and products through every step of production, processing, and distribution

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SKU & Product Complexity

Add and manage new ingredients and product SKUs with ease

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Supply Chain Management

Control food costs, reduce waste, and ensure a consistent flow of ingredients and products

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Regulatory Compliance

Meet regulations and label requirements locally and abroad

woman checking bottles on production line
Infographic

The impact of food and beverage recalls

Food and beverage manufacturing makes up 10% of the global economic output. So, when a recall happens, the effects can be felt far and wide, and potentially for years.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs from food and beverage manufacturers

Does Fishbowl support batch and lot tracking for perishable items?

Yes! Fishbowl allows you to track your inventory and finished goods by whatever labeling you prefer. Choose from Fishbowl’s pre-loaded library of tracking options: lot number, expiration date, received date, revision number, units of measure, country of origin, and more, or you can also create your own.

Can Fishbowl manage expiration dates and prevent waste?

Absolutely! Fishbowl can support different inventory valuation methods, including First In, First Out (FIFO). In addition to lot and serial number tracking, Fishbowl allows you to associate each batch with an expiration date–even create custom alerts to receive warnings that items are about to expire–so they can be sold or used before newer materials/products, or before they expire. You can also track expiration dates with custom fields and leverage Fishbowl reporting to track the age of inventory, as well as review historical inventory turnover and expiration rates to make better inventory management decisions over time.

Finally, record spoilage all the way through to your accounting software and map inventory tracking to the accounts that you specify in QuickBooks (whatever makes sense for your business), so that spoilage is reflected in your books the way your business needs it to be.

Can I limit what certain roles can do/access inside of Fishbowl?

Yes! Grant varying degrees of access to different people, or roles, throughout your organization. Each role can be assigned specific permissions that define what actions the individual can perform–ensuring only those who you specify can view, edit, or delete certain information. With Fishbowl, everyone is clear on their roles and has access to exactly the information they need to do their job.

How does Fishbowl manage products that have strict tracking or labeling requirements? 

Fishbowl’s lot and serial number tracking allow you to trace products through every step of the supply chain. In the event of a recall, your team can quickly identify and trace ingredients or products from start to finish. You can also customize your product labels to be able to track the details most important to your operations, regulatory bodies, and to your customers. Key reports available in Fishbowl give you an even deeper dive into your processes and supply chain. These reports include:

  • Part Activity Report
  • Lot History Report Reverse
  • Lot History Report
  • Sales and Purchase Summary
  • Customer History Report
  • Vendor History Report

How does Fishbowl manage domestic and international suppliers? 

Supplier and vendor management is time-consuming when it comes to forecasting, planning, and purchasing. Fishbowl simplifies those processes by giving you the ability to forecast and plan based on lead times and other criteria, so you get what you need, when you need it–no matter where your vendors are. Additionally, we take the guess work out of purchasing by automatically converting the supplier prices to your home currency.

Can Fishbowl help me stay on top of regulatory certifications and renewals?

Yes! With Fishbowls calendar feature, you can schedule actions and reminders that help you stay on top of certification renewals. You can also create custom workflows around certifications and renewals, as well as leverage Fishbowl Advanced reports to gain insights and track information related to compliance (schedule reports to be generated and exported in several different formats for ongoing tracking and documentation). Additionally, you can store all of your documentation on certification and compliance with Fishbowl File Storage.

What features does Fishbowl Advanced provide for forecasting and demand planning?

Fishbowl allows you to set inventory max./min. thresholds that then trigger actions, like ordering more stock. Then, using Fishbowl’s reports, you can analyze inventory trends throughout your organization over time to identify patterns and better predict demand (customize and save your reports so you have the views you need when you need them. Talk to us about creating custom reports!). These reports arm you with impactful inventory data that allows you to make strategic purchasing decisions.

Plan for fluctuations in demand with calendar views of all your scheduled workflows–color-code and curate your calendar, easily drag and drop work orders into the work week, and assign actions to certain people, so everyone is clear on what they need to do and when.

How easy is it to modify or create new workflows?

We will train you and your team on how to create new, or modify existing, workflows as part of your implementation, training, and certification. Keep those learnings fresh with on-demand training through Brainstorm. If you need certain changes, or just want to leverage Fishbowl expertise, our team of experts is here to help craft/modify your workflows as needed! No matter how you work, Fishbowl’s got your back.

In the event of a recall, how does Fishbowl track inventory and products?

Fishbowl’s product traceability features allows you to quickly identify affected batches and the source of contamination. Click here to see the specific Fishbowl features that help you prepare for and navigate a recall.

  • Creating a recall plan
  • Executing a recall

Testimonials

Niche Bakers

Ron Wataszko
Inventory Manager

Running out is not acceptable. Fishbowl allows me to take a look out and see what’s going to be happening in the future. For me, that’s a big advantage.

bottle being checked on production line

Request a specialized food & beverage demo today.

Trusted by customers in hundreds of industries
DotsPretzels
Fusion
Wellscroft
PTI
Leather
g2 small business summer 2024
Leader Small-Business
Fishbowl is a G2 Leader for small businesses, praised for high satisfaction.
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GetApp: Distribution
Fishbowl's solution transforms complex distribution workflows
g2 high performer summer 2024
G2Crowd: Summer 2024 High Performer
Fishbowl stands out with high customer satisfaction, recognized as a G2's High Performer quadrant.
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SoftwareAdvice: Front Runner 2024
Fishbowl is a front runner across multiple manufacturing and warehousing software categories
getapp best 2023
GetApp:
Fishbowl's awarded 'best features and functionality' from reviewers.
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Capterra: 2024 Shortlist
Capterra recognized Fishbowl for its robust feature set
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Capterra: Warehouse Management
Ranked Fishbowl as a top performer in warehouse management