How to ERP Guide for Plant Based Protein Manufacturing

Plant-based Protein Manufacturers: How SAP Meets the “Meat” Industry

Consumers are eating healthier than they have in decades. Plant-based alternatives are not going away, and many are turning to these alternative proteins to stay true to their beliefs and lower their food costs. With the current economic crisis, the cost of meat and dairy products has skyrocketed. According to an article on USA Today, grocery prices have gone up 4.1 % in the last year. This figure includes meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Due to increasing costs and limited availability, people are opting for more sustainable types of foods. Consumers are more open to plant-based protein meals like vegan hot dogs, meatballs, and chicken nuggets. At one point the shift in nutrition awareness was toward a pure fruit, vegetable, and nut diet, but now there is a higher emphasis on more sources of protein since many people could not get enough protein from traditional vegetarian sources.

Vegan “meats” and cheese can now be added to meals to increase protein and essential minerals. The new trend toward plant-based protein has increased demand for these products and plant-based protein manufacturers and suppliers are wondering how to innovate the process to meet this demand.

Challenges Facing Manufacturers

One of the biggest challenges for manufacturers is to create products that look and taste like meat. Tofu is an acquired taste, and many find the texture undesirable. A recent study showed 4 – 5 Americans shop according to taste and don’t like the current plant-based food options. They continue to buy animal protein because there are no tasty non-meat alternatives. Simply put, if it doesn’t taste good, it won’t stay on the menu for long.

Contemporary companies like Beyond Meat, Before the Butcher, and MorningStar Farms have created meat alternatives that can be substituted in many traditional recipes where you would use chicken or beef. In the future, it may even possible to replicate a non-meat version of steaks – an Israeli company “Redefine Meat” is working on a 3-D printing process for non-meat steaks.

With the creation of the “Impossible Burger,” the door exploded open to meat substitutes that are quickly joining the traditional hamburgers as an alternative in restaurant meals. Beyond meat can be used in burgers, tacos, and meatballs to make our favorite comfort foods but without guilt.

Difficult to Create Products with Texture

Creating plant-based cheese is a difficult task. Cheese made from dairy sources is aged to give it that signature flavor and consistency. When making vegan cheese, non-dairy sources of protein like nuts, rice, or pea protein are more difficult to incorporate and create the same texture as milk-based cheeses. Each different manufacturing facility, equipment, and manufacturing sequences are unique. SAP Business One provides real-time reporting and analytics throughout the manufacturing process for transparency of the assembly line and distribution.

HOW DOES SAP BUSINESS ONE HELP THE PLANT BASED PROTEIN MANUFACTURERS IN THE VEGAN COMMUNITY?

Supply Chain Visibility

In the food industry, supply chain management refers to the flow of goods and services and how they are managed or organized. To help manufacturers better manage their products and keep up with the current demand, SAP Business One, Food One is designed specifically to help manage cost-saving automated operations for the food and beverage industry. Improved traceability means that these processes can be duplicated successfully over and over.

Benefits of SAP Business One for Food Processing	Food Industry ERP Software SAP Business One Food One
Keep Track of Inventory and Purchasing	Food Production Planning
Purchasing and Inventory Management	Catch Weight
Business Intelligence	Blending Station
Production Planning	Keeps Track of Rebates & Sales Promotions
Analytics & Reporting	Quality Assurance
Managing Payments and Invoices	Route Planner
Creates Real-Time Reports & Tracks Data	Order Guides
Sales and Customer Management	Warehouse Management System (WMS+)

CONCLUSION

There is no denying a shift in the protein community with a higher interest toward eating less meat and more plant-based protein. Regardless of your position to move to plant-based proteins for your health or your conscious SAP Business One helps vegan manufacturers with food traceability (farm-to-table), recall functionality, production planning, quality assurance and more. Food manufacturers need a way to keep up with the demands of business and SAP Business One Food One helps streamline the workflow, track ingredients, and make the processes smooth as Silk©.

READ MORE HOW SOFTENGINE IMPLEMENTED SAP BUSINESS ONE TO EASY FOODS INC

Contact info@softengine.com for more information on serving the protein-based community.