Being Cost Efficient In The Food Industry

By Keren Kipfer


If you have a food product that you wish to sell to consumers all over the United States, there is no doubt you are concerned with keeping your operating costs at a minimum. While you don't want to sacrifice product quality, keeping cost per unit as low as possible is always a priority. Here are a few suggestions that might help you reduce your overall expenses.

When you are just starting out, it can be wise to lease your equipment rather than purchasing everything you need for your production. Leasing reduces your upfront costs substantially. Instead of buying equipment, you can concentrate on product design, quality control and marketing.

One factor that has a big effect on your bottom line is the type of packaging that you are using. Take for instance using less packaging as this usually saves you money, though be certain that your package is the right amount of size to surround and protect your food product. Another great alternative in saving your overall shipping costs is with the use of a lighter weight packaging and in keeping your items fresh and secured, many opt for plastic packaging or a combination of cardboard and plastic.

Of course, you will need to affix special information, such as batch numbers and expiration dates onto each individual unit. To do this you will need a machine known as an id coder or id printer. There are many different types of CIJ coders and DOD coders, including Domino coders, Videojet coders and other major brands. Purchasing refurbished coding equipment from a company such as Print Jet, can be an excellent way to cut costs.

PrintJet also creates high quality versions of ink and make-up fluids for all of the major brands of coders which help in addition to refurbishing coding equipment and selling refurbished coding equipment. Generic versions of Videojet ink, Imaje ink, Domino ink and many other brands are able to be formulated. You can trim your bottom line by quite a bit when you purchase generic inks and fluids.

Trying to expand too quickly is one mistake that many companies take. Don't jump next to a new product until you have established success with your current product and this is particularly true if you have one specific food product that you are selling. Rather than trying to expand with many different varieties, it is best to add one new product at a time. One should not hesitate to remove a product that is recently introduced but isn't gaining popularity as other items need to be concentrated upon.




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