Optimizing Inventory in the Food & Beverage Industry: What are the Best Software?

The food and beverage (F&B) industry faces constant pressure from demand variability, seasonality, strict regulatory requirements, and the challenge of perishable goods inventory management. To maintain high service levels without accumulating excess stock or generating waste, companies increasingly rely on Food and Beverage inventory software that supports forecasting, replenishment and operational planning.

In this review, we compare five leading Food and Beverage inventory management solutions — Flowlity, Katana, Relex, QuickBooks and Odoo — to help F&B companies choose the right tool. Each solution brings different strengths depending on company size, production complexity and the need to reduce waste across the supply chain.

1. Katana

Katana is a cloud-based platform for managing manufacturing, inventory and production. Its real-time tracking of raw materials, finished goods and bills of materials (BOMs) helps F&B producers manage stock more efficiently. Katana supports product variants and multi-site operations, making it suitable for simple production environments like breweries, bakeries and artisanal food producers.

However, Katana lacks advanced forecasting capabilities and dynamic safety stock calculations commonly needed in inventory management software for food industry. Companies often rely on spreadsheets or separate planning tools to manage variability, making it less suitable for highly perishable or fast-moving stock.

2. Relex

Relex provides an enterprise-grade solution for retailers and FMCG companies using machine learning to improve demand forecasting and reduce waste. Its platform offers end-to-end visibility between procurement, production and sales — that makes it a good F&B inventory management system for large distributors and grocers.

Relex excels in food and beverage inventory control software functions such as automated replenishment, shelf-life management and store-level forecasting. However, its primary focus is grocery retail rather than production. Manufacturers with complex recipes, batch dependencies or production constraints must verify whether Relex fully supports their requirements.

3. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is widely recognised for accounting, but also includes basic inventory features such as low-stock alerts, purchase order creation and integration with sales platforms. For very small F&B businesses or early-stage producers, it can serve as an entry-level inventory management system for food industry that helps monitor inventory levels and generate purchase orders.

Still, QuickBooks lacks essential capabilities for perishable goods inventory management, such as expiry tracking, BOM management and detailed forecasting. F&B businesses typically outgrow it quickly as operations become more complex.

4. Odoo

Odoo is a modular ERP offering modules for manufacturing, inventory and warehouse It supports real-time tracking, forecasting and management of stock and BOMs. F&B companies can use Odoo to coordinate production and inventory within a single system.

Its flexibility makes it appealing, but customization often requires technical expertise, and Odoo does not natively include advanced algorithms for forecasting for food and beverage or for handling perishability constraints. Companies looking for a turnkey food and beverage inventory management solution may find Odoo better suited as a broader ERP rather than a specialized planning platform.

5. Flowlity

Flowlity offers an AI-powered planning platform tailored to industries like F&B where demand volatility and perishability are critical. It stands out among food and beverage inventory software thanks to its probabilistic models, which generate SKU-level forecasts and dynamically calculate optimal inventory levels. Flowlity’s algorithms consider lead times, supplier reliability and demand variability to recommend safety stock that balances service level targets with waste reduction.

This makes Flowlity highly effective for perishable inventory optimization and for reducing food waste in the supply chain. The platform’s collaborative features allows F&B producers to share forecasts with suppliers and customers, reducing shortages, preventing overproduction and improving responsiveness.

Companies using Flowlity report measurable results:

• reduced stock levels and stock coverage,
• fewer shortages,
• improved service levels,
• increased planning efficiency thanks to automation and exception-based workflows.

Flowlity’s strength lies in combining advanced AI with true simplicity: the platform is not only user-friendly, but also easy to integrate, with an implementation completed in just a few weeks—making it a high-performance alternative to traditional food and beverage inventory management software.

Choosing the Right Food and Beverage Inventory Software

Each solution addresses different needs within the F&B sector:

• Katana and Odoo provide solid operational management for F&B manufacturers but require add-ons or spreadsheets for advanced forecasting.
• Relex offers enterprise-grade planning and waste reduction but is oriented toward large retailers and may be less adaptable for manufacturers.
• QuickBooks is suitable only for micro-businesses: it is a starting point but lacks depth.
• Flowlity delivers a modern, AI-native approach by combining demand forecasting, perishable goods planning, and dynamic inventory optimization in one platform.

For F&B companies aiming to optimize working capital, limit waste, and improve service levels and streamline planning without the overhead of a full ERP implementation, an AI-driven solution like Flowlity can provide the best balance between performance, agility and ease of use.

Conclusion

Managing perishable inventory requires precise planning, real-time adjustments and strong collaboration across the supply chain. While Katana, Relex, QuickBooks and Odoo each offer valuable features, Flowlity’s tailored approach to demand forecasting and inventory optimization—supported by case-studies demonstrating increased service levels and reduced stock—positions it as the best  food and beverage inventory software for businesses seeking to transform their supply chains.

With its ability to reduce waste, prevent shortages and align inventory with real-world demand variability, Flowlity is a strong choice for F&B organizations looking to modernize and streamline their supply chain.

Sources

1. Katana’s tracking of raw materials, finished goods and BOMs.
2. Relex’s AI-based platform aimed at aligning operations with demand and reducing waste.
3. QuickBooks’ basic inventory tracking and low-stock alerts.
4. Odoo’s real-time tracking and forecasting capabilities for inventory and BOMs.
5. Flowlity’s probabilistic forecasting, dynamic optimisation and collaboration features.
6. Flowlity customer improvements in service levels and inventory reductions, and continuous innovation.

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