CASE STUDY

A CRM for Distributors

How a School Catering Company Achieves 100% Accuracy in Allergen Tracking

Food For Tots Case Study: Leveraging JustFood ERP for Enhanced Efficiency and Safety

 

What is JustFood ERP?

ustFood ERP is a comprehensive software solution specifically designed for food manufacturers and distributors. It streamlines operations, enhances food safety, and provides visibility across production, inventory, and supply chains. With tools to manage compliance, allergens, and traceability, JustFood ERP empowers companies to operate more efficiently and grow sustainably.

 

The Company: Food For Tots

Food For Tots is a leading catering company based in Ontario, Canada, dedicated to providing nutritious, child-friendly meals and snacks to childcare centers and schools. The company operates a 100% nut, pork, and shellfish-free facility, accommodating a wide range of allergy, religious, and dietary requirements. With an impressive output of over five million meals annually, Food For Tots has become a trusted partner for institutions across the region.

The Challenges

Managing Allergen Tracking on the Production Floor

Food For Tots handles an intricate process of managing 97 allergens across its operations. Each day, the company prepares approximately 1,500 lunches and 1,600 snacks, many of which require allergen replacements tailored to individual children’s needs. Ensuring accuracy and providing clear instructions to the production team was critical. The company required a reliable system capable of managing these complexities without error.

Limited Visibility into Operations

Before adopting JustFood ERP, Food For Tots relied on three separate systems to manage its business. The primary system, though highly customized, had become restrictive and was stifling growth. With no integration among the systems, data had to be manually downloaded and uploaded, resulting in inefficiencies and bottlenecks. This lack of visibility into day-to-day operations hindered strategic decision-making and presented challenges to scaling the business.

“The impact you can make by having greater visibility is huge, and I did not anticipate that. The end result was a lot more transparency, which ultimately led to positive management decisions.”
Julia Selby, VP of Business Development

The Solutions

Streamlining Allergen Tracking Processes

Led by Julia Selby, VP of Business Development, Food For Tots embarked on the search for a robust ERP system. Their top priorities included reliability, scalability, and minimizing customizations. While some custom work was required to meet the unique allergen management needs, JustFood ERP already had most of the necessary functionality built into its platform.

With JustFood ERP, Food For Tots can now seamlessly manage individualized bills of materials (BOMs) for each child, automatically assigning allergen replacements based on specific dietary requirements.

“To say that effective allergen management is important to us is an understatement,” says Selby. “The process is incredibly complex. Many children have multiple allergies, and each meal replacement is based on a child’s specific needs. There’s a lot at stake.”

The reliability of JustFood ERP has been critical in ensuring 100% accuracy in allergen tracking, providing peace of mind to the team and their clients.

Enhanced Visibility for Smarter Decisions

Integrating all data and workflows into one system brought immediate benefits. By transitioning from three disconnected platforms to a fully integrated ERP, Food For Tots gained unprecedented visibility into its operations.

“The amount of data that was available to us after going live was really great,” shares Selby. “In our first year, we saw significant cost savings while being able to maintain our commitment to our customers.”

The centralized system allowed for real-time data insights, empowering the leadership team to make more informed decisions. The newfound transparency enabled the company to identify inefficiencies, optimize workflows, and make strategic adjustments that drove growth.

Selby notes that the return on investment was realized quickly: “We now have control over our data and greater insight into changes, and that’s really important to us.”

The Results

Since implementing JustFood ERP, Food For Tots has achieved remarkable outcomes, including:

  • Enhanced Food Safety: Achieved 100% accuracy in tracking allergens and allergen replacements on the production floor.
  • Improved Efficiency: Streamlined production and inventory management, resulting in significant food cost savings within the first year.

By adopting JustFood ERP, Food For Tots has positioned itself for sustained success. The company’s ability to manage complex allergen requirements with precision and gain deeper operational insights has enabled it to deliver on its promise of safe, healthy meals while driving cost efficiency.