7 Best Food Manufacturing ERP Software 2024 (#1 System)

by Chris Von Wilpert, BBusMan • Last updated November 23, 2023

Expert Verified by Leandro Langeani, BBA

First-Person Perspective: We buy, test and review software products based on a 3-step rating methodology and first-hand experienceIf you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our rating methodology and how we make money.

Today there are 89 different food manufacturing ERPs. We spent 71 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to streamline your food manufacturing processes.

What is the Best Food Manufacturing ERP?

  1. NetSuite — best of the best
  2. Sage X3 — best for mid sized businesses
  3. Katana — best for small businesses
  4. SAP S/4HANA — best for enterprises
  5. SYSPRO — best for compliance management
  6. BatchMaster — best for oil manufacturers
  7. ChefTec — best for chefs

Our Verdict — Best Of The Best

Price: Custom

NetSuite is a comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution for food manufacturers. We think it’s the best because of its real-time inventory tracking, end-to-end supply chain management, and robust quality control features.

The Best Part:

  • It’s very scalable. NetSuite easily adapts to your business’s growth and changing needs. You can customize your ERP dashboards, processes, and design as you expand your business.

The Worst Part:

  • Complex setup. NetSuite can be challenging and expensive to set up, requiring expert assistance to get it done right.

Get it if you want a scalable, all-in-one ERP solution to manage your food manufacturing processes efficiently.

I recommend you start with a free product tour to explore NetSuite’s features.

(free product tour)

Best For

NetSuite is best for food manufacturers who want a streamlined, comprehensive ERP solution to boost growth.

Top Features

  • Drag-and-drop scheduling. Arrange your food production schedules in real time with a drag-and-drop Gantt dashboard.
  • Shop floor calendar. Boost productivity with a simplified calendar to set machinery schedules, re-schedule shifts, plan breaks and emergency leaves.
  • Speedy quote management. Streamline your sales process with automatic pricing, sales tax, and discount management, to close deals faster.
  • Smart inventory monitoring. Keep your stock levels on point with automatic restocking alerts, reordering forms, and real-time inventory dashboards.
  • Asset lifecycle management. Take charge of your depreciating and non-depreciating assets to maintain quality and stay compliant with regulations.

Pricing

NetSuite offers a single pricing plan:

  • Custom pricing: Custom monthly pricing, for food manufacturers who want an all-in-one ERP solution they can adapt to their business, with advanced inventory management, detailed traceability, and extensive quality control features.

Try NetSuite today with a free product tour.

Our Verdict — Best For Mid Sized Businesses

Price: Custom

Sage X3 is a powerful ERP solution for food manufacturers. We think it’s the best for midsized food manufacturers because of its advanced compliance tracking, robust recipe management, and streamlined quality control.

The Best Part:

  • It excels in traceability. Sage X3 makes tracking raw materials to finished products a breeze, ensuring food safety, compliance, and quality.

The Worst Part:

  • Steep learning curve. Compared to alternatives, Sage X3 might be especially challenging for newcomers.

Get it if you want a top-notch ERP that’ll help you stay on top of food safety and quality standards throughout your manufacturing process.

I recommend you start with a free product tour to explore Sage X3’s capabilities for food manufacturing.

(free product tour)

Best For

Sage X3 is best for mid sized food manufacturers who want to streamline production processes without compromising quality.

Top Features

  • Allergen tracking made easy. Track manufactured products containing food allergens to keep customers safe and stay compliant with regulations.
  • Tailored shelf life management. Keep a fresh stock of products with Sage’s streamlined expiration and use-by date tracking.
  • Automated inspection and quarantine. Isolate low-quality ingredients and items with thorough packaging and production inspections.
  • Detailed ingredient tracking and recalls. Keep tabs on ingredients and end items by plant, batch, or supplier, and automatically recall products when necessary.
  • On-the-fly ecommerce synchronization. Wave goodbye to messy inventory, data, and orders with Sage’s built-in ecommerce store builder.

Pricing

Sage X3 offers a single pricing plan:

  • Custom pricing: Custom yearly plans, for midsize food manufacturers who want a reliable cloud ERP to produce high-quality food and beverage and streamline production.

Try Sage X3 today with a free product tour.

Our Verdict — Best For Small Businesses

Price: Starts at $129/month

Katana is an innovative ERP solution for food manufacturing businesses. We think it’s the best for small businesses because of its real-time stock tracking capabilities, seamless production scheduling, and shop floor management tools.

The Best Part:

  • Very easy to use. Katana offers a simplified experience to help manage your food manufacturing processes, giving you more time to focus on growth.

The Worst Part:

  • Not scale friendly. Katana is perfect for small businesses, but it’s not the best option for mid sized and large companies with complex needs.

Get it if you want an easy-to-use ERP solution to manage your food manufacturing processes, streamline your inventory management, and optimize production without breaking a sweat.

I recommend you sign up for a 14-day free trial, then grab the Advanced subscription for $3,599/year to get started.

(14-day free trial)

Best For

Katana is best for small food manufacturers who want a user-friendly ERP solution to streamline inventory and production processes.

Top Features

  • Batch and material traceability. Trace your materials and products to their origins, and recall them no matter where they are in your process.
  • Barcode automation. Generate and assign batch barcodes for products to keep accurate inventory counts and locate products within seconds.
  • Streamlined international transactions. Automate currency conversions for international sales orders to avoid under or overcharging customers.
  • Sales performance analysis. Dive deep into actionable insights from Katana’s custom sales reports to pinpoint trends, risks, and opportunities.
  • Contractor spying. Watch material usage, purchase order progress, and real-time inventory levels at suppliers’ and partners’ locations, straight from your ERP dashboard.

Pricing

Katana offers four pricing plans:

  • Essential: $129/month for startup food manufacturing businesses that want a basic ERP to streamline their production, for up to three warehouses and 500 monthly orders.
  • Advanced: $349/month for small food manufacturing businesses that want a comprehensive ERP system to process sales, manage production, and automate repetitive tasks, for unlimited warehouses and up to 5,000 monthly orders.
  • Professional: $799/month for small food manufacturers that want a robust ERP solution with all features in Advanced plus and priority support, for unlimited warehouses and up to 25,000 monthly orders.
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing, for small food manufacturing businesses that want a custom food ERP plan to automate all processes and streamline production, for unlimited warehouses and orders.

Annual plans provide up to a 25% discount.

Try Katana today with a free 14-day trial.

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

  1. NetSuite — best of the best
  2. Sage X3 — best for mid sized businesses
  3. Katana — best for small businesses

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Tool

Entry Offer

Pricing

NetSuite

Free product tour

Custom

Sage X3

Free product tour

Custom

Katana

14-day free trial

Starts at $129/mo

SAP S/4HANA

30-day free trial

Custom

SYSPRO

Free demo

Custom

BatchMaster

Free demo

Custom

ChefTec

14-day trial for $19.95

Starts at $995/yr

Here are the top 50 food manufacturing ERPs we considered in this review:

  1. NetSuite
  2. Sage X3
  3. Katana
  4. SAP S/4HANA
  5. SYSPRO
  6. BatchMaster
  7. ChefTec
  8. Deacom
  9. Aptean Food & Beverage ERP
  10. Plex Smart
  11. ProcessPro
  12. QAD
  13. IQMS
  14. DELMIAWorks
  15. Tropos
  16. Dairy.com
  17. AFP
  18. SAP Business One
  19. Microsoft Dynamics Business Central
  20. SAP Business ByDesign
  21. IFS Applications
  22. Microsoft Dynamics 365
  23. Infor CloudSuite Industrial
  24. Epicor
  25. IFS 10.0
  26. Enterprise IQ
  27. Inecta
  28. Enterprise 21
  29. Datacor
  30. JustFood
  31. Oracle Fusion Cloud
  32. Ignition by TELUS
  33. Food Connex
  34. xTuple
  35. Masterplan ERP
  36. Odoo
  37. Acumatica
  38. ColombusFood
  39. Visual Produce
  40. SI Foodware Fruits and Vegetables
  41. PRIMS
  42. PBS Accounting
  43. JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
  44. Fishbowl
  45. MISys Manufacturing
  46. Kenandy Cloud ERP
  47. Nulogy
  48. Shopfloor-Online
  49. Opcenter Execution Process
  50. R4 Enterprise

What is ERP in food manufacturing?

ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is a system used in food manufacturing to streamline and manage various aspects of the food business, including manufacturing operations management, production planning, and warehouse management.

Food ERP software helps food companies achieve efficient process manufacturing, maintain regulatory compliance, and ensure product quality. Based on our research, NetSuite is the #1 option most suitable for all types of food manufacturing businesses. It provides a customizable experience and enables you to tailor your ERP to fit your factory's needs and processes.

Which ERP software is used for the manufacturing industry?

Examples of ERP software in food manufacturing include NetSuite, Sage X3, Katana, and SAP S/4HANA. These three are our top four picks for food manufacturing businesses. NetSuite is a popular choice for businesses of all sizes, as it offers a wide range of functionalities and integrates seamlessly with various business processes. Sage X3 is a well-suited option for mid-sized businesses, offering features like accurate costs, quality assurance, and material requirements planning. Katana is ideal for small businesses, focusing on inventory management and production planning, while SAP S/4HANA is suitable for large enterprises, offering comprehensive tools for process manufacturing, human resources, and regulatory compliance.

What software is used in the food industry?

The food industry uses various types of software to manage different business aspects, ensuring efficiency, product quality, and regulatory compliance. Key software for the food industry include:

  1. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software — ERP systems, such as NetSuite, Sage X3, and Katana, help food companies manage their manufacturing operations, warehouse management, production planning, and financial management. These systems help streamline business processes, improve efficiency, and maintain regulatory compliance.
  2. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software — CRM systems, like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365, allow food businesses to manage their interactions with customers and prospects. These tools track customer information, preferences, and order history, facilitating better customer service and targeted marketing efforts.
  3. Quality management software — Food companies use quality management systems, such as SafetyChain and TraceGains, to ensure product quality and safety. These tools help manage quality assurance processes, monitor compliance with food safety regulations, and track supplier performance.
  4. Inventory management software — Solutions like Fishbowl and DEAR Inventory help food businesses manage raw materials, finished goods, and warehouse operations. These tools help guarantee accurate inventory counts, optimize stock levels, and track expiration dates.

How to use ERP for manufacturing?

Using ERP for manufacturing involves integrating various business processes. The food and beverage industry faces unique challenges, such as managing expiration dates, maintaining quality assurance, and meeting the requirements set by regulatory bodies. ERP software helps food companies tackle these challenges by providing the necessary tools to solve these problems. Here are some best practices for using an ERP for manufacturing:

  1. Choose the right ERP software: Based on your business size and requirements, select an ERP solution that caters to your specific needs. Consider factors like ease of use, customization, scalability, and integration with other business tools. If you're in the food manufacturing space, we recommend NetSuite, Sage X3, or Katana.
  2. Implement the software: Work with a consultant or implementation partner to configure the ERP system to your business processes, ensuring that it covers all aspects of your food manufacturing operations, such as raw material management, production planning, warehouse management, and customer relationship management. This step is especially necessary if you use a comprehensive ERP like NetSuite.
  3. Train your team: Provide comprehensive training to your staff to familiarize them with the new software, ensuring a smooth transition and maximizing the benefits of the ERP system.
  4. Monitor and evaluate performance: Regularly review your ERP system's performance and make necessary adjustments to optimize its effectiveness in managing your food business operations.
  5. Continuously improve: Stay updated on the latest industry trends and best practices, and make any necessary updates to your ERP system.

What are the top 3 food manufacturing companies?

Based on annual sales and revenue, the top three food manufacturing companies are Pepsico, Inc., Nestle, and JBS.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best food manufacturing ERPs to try this year:

  1. NetSuite — best of the best
  2. Sage X3 — best for mid sized businesses
  3. Katana — best for small businesses
  4. SAP S/4HANA — best for enterprises
  5. SYSPRO — best for compliance management
  6. BatchMaster — best for oil manufacturers
  7. ChefTec — best for chefs

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