If you’re currently running a business in the realm of food manufacturing, you’re probably keen on staying on top of the latest trends and challenges that might be facing your industry at the moment. As with every industry, there will always be hurdles to overcome as the market changes and adapts to external demands. It is your job as a business owner to stay across these subject matters and remain well-informed at all times. Whether you’re trying to maintain the reputation of your food and beverage business, or you want to start a company from scratch, and you’re interested in all of the intricate details, there are so many different things you need to know when working in food manufacturing. Responding quickly and effectively to these challenges will help your business to stay in good shape and maintain strong relationships with your suppliers and customers. Luckily, there are also a number of exciting and positive situations your food manufacturing business could face in the coming years too, such as more sustainable processes and changing demands from customers.
So, if you’re working in this sector, here are seven of the most common challenges your food manufacturing business may face in the coming months and years.
1. Enhanced Regulation
As more and more research is conducted, there are more and more regulations put in place with the food industry. This is for the benefit of you, your employees, and your customers, and they are enforced for a good reason. For example, there are specific guidelines relating to food industry cleaning chemicals and the industry standards you need to follow. You will be required to use non-toxic cleaning products that are still able to make every surface and piece of equipment in your workplace clean and sanitized. On a similar note, there is also heightened regulation when it comes to health awareness, with more stringent legislation being introduced as time goes on. If your products contain particular allergens, for example, you will need to be able to track your ingredients and ensure that cross-contamination is never a factor in your establishment. There are technologies out there that can help you to keep track of these things, so it’s always good to stay well-informed about the latest gadgets.
2. Changes in Customer Demands
Keeping your eye on changes and trends in the market will help your food manufacturing business stay ahead of the curve. Like many sectors, you are likely to see changes in customer demands, which will have a direct effect on what you produce and how you do it. These days people are much more health conscious, and they want to know exactly how their food is being produced. Consumers care about how their food is produced, the techniques, the energy sources. For instance, trying to learn about powerpacks here and understanding how they can help your business go more eco-friendly as they provide alternatives to traditional energy supplies can help draw in people who are concerned with the planet. Creating vegan options, nut-free alternatives, and dairy-free products is also something that many manufacturers need to do to keep up with demands.
3. Staffing Retention and Hiring Struggles
Many industries are struggling with staff retention and hiring the right people for the job. The food manufacturing industry is no exception to this rule. Flexible working and working from home are becoming more and more appealing, which means that in-person jobs require extra incentives to attract new talent. However, many companies don’t always have the means or the money to create these extra benefits for potential new employees.
4. Workers With More Specialized Skills Are Needed
Nowadays, it isn’t simply a case of putting a worker onto a supply chain and showing them how to do a simple and repetitive action. Food manufacturing is much more complex these days and requires much more skilled workers. Technology is transforming the way the industry works, with companies beginning to use Artificial intelligence in food industry with UEAT to scale their business and produce solutions to technological problems. However, it’s still essential to hire forward-thinking people who can adapt and learn how to do things the new way. There is much more emphasis on being computer-literate if you work in food manufacturing. Your staff will need to know how to operate a whole host of equipment and do it quickly and effectively to keep up with demand. It may have once been considered a low-skill job with a relatively low wage, but that simply isn’t the case anymore.
5. Rising Costs All Round
Everything is getting more expensive at the moment due to inflation, so this is impacting the food manufacturing industry in so many different ways. Staff is demanding higher pay, and bills and overhead are becoming more costly, and ingredients are being sourced from suppliers who must increase their prices. Staying afloat and ensuring you can afford to keep all angles of your business running is the challenge that is being experienced by many business owners in the food manufacturing industry right now. Keeping an eye on your numbers and being hyper-aware of all of your outgoings is one way to stay across this challenge.
6. The Necessity for a Digital Presence
As if your job wasn't hard enough already. You’re trying to entice new staff to work for you, retain the hard-working employees that are an asset to your team, and you need to maintain high standards and stick to rules and restrictions. On top of all of this, you also need to make sure your business is present online; otherwise, your competitors will quickly overtake you in the race to become the best in your niche industry. All businesses face the same challenges when it comes to creating a strong digital presence for their brand; it’s time-consuming, complicated, and something not every business owner has a natural flair for. Modern technology can be extremely positive, but many business owners in the food manufacturing industry are finding it to be troublesome to maintain a strong online presence.
To Conclude
It is clear that the food manufacturing sector has numerous challenges ahead, but there is nothing that your business can’t work through and plan ahead for. Whether you’re stocking up on the best possible cleaning products for your equipment or you’re exploring multi-skilled workers to help you take your company to the next level, there are so many positive steps you can take right now to ensure your business thrives through these testing times in the industry.