INDUSTRIES · FOOD & BEVERAGE

A recall should take hours to trace. Not days of digging through paper.

Dynamics 365 gives food and beverage producers lot and batch traceability, shelf-life tracking, and recipe- or formula-based production connected directly to finance and purchasing.

FIT CHECK

A good fit if, and where the line is.

A good fit if

  • ✓
    Lot traceability today depends on paper logs or disconnected spreadsheetsA recall or audit means hours of manual digging instead of a direct lookup from finished product back to raw material lots.
  • ✓
    Shelf-life and expiration tracking is manualFirst-expired-first-out picking and expiration alerts need to be enforced by the system, not by memory.
  • ✓
    Production runs on formulas or recipes with variable yieldsCatch-weight items, variable yields, and by-products need to be handled natively, not worked around.
  • ✓
    Regulatory or customer audits require fast, complete trace reportsYou need to produce a full genealogy report, forward and backward, without a multi-day scramble.

Look elsewhere if

  • 1
    You're a very small single-site producer with minimal regulatory exposureA lighter industry-specific tool might cover your traceability needs without full ERP overhead.
  • 2
    Your production process has no meaningful lot or batch concept at allIf traceability genuinely isn't a requirement, some of this depth won't be relevant yet.
WHAT ACTUALLY MOVES THE TIMELINE

What actually moves the timeline.

Lot/batch tracking depth required
Full forward-and-backward genealogy takes more configuration than simple lot numbering.
Formula and recipe complexity
Variable yields, catch-weight items, and by-products add real configuration time.
Regulatory reporting requirements
Specific customer or regulatory trace-report formats sometimes need custom reporting work.
WHAT'S COVERED

The functional areas this touches.

01

Lot & batch traceability

Full genealogy tracking from raw material lot through production to finished goods and shipment.

02

Shelf-life management

Expiration tracking and first-expired-first-out picking enforced automatically, not manually.

03

Formula & recipe management

Recipe-based production with variable yields, catch-weight items, and by-product handling.

04

Quality & compliance

Quality hold and release processes tied to lot status, supporting audit and recall readiness.

Distributing food or beverage products rather than producing them? See Distribution →
See the broader manufacturing page →
FAQ

Common questions before committing.

Q.How fast can we trace a recall with this in place?

A properly configured system gives you full forward-and-backward genealogy in minutes rather than days, since every transaction carries the lot reference.

Q.Does it handle catch-weight items?

Yes, catch-weight and variable-yield production are supported natively in the food and beverage configuration.

Q.Can it enforce first-expired-first-out picking automatically?

Yes, expiration-based picking rules can be enforced at the warehouse level rather than relying on staff to check dates manually.

Q.Do we need a separate quality management system?

Often not. Quality hold and release tied to lot status covers most mid-market needs without a bolt-on QMS.

Considering Dynamics 365 for Food & Beverage

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