Buying group warns food manufacturers about not signing up to Erudus

A leading foodservice buying group is warning manufacturers they could be losing out on sales by not signing up to product specification software.

Nick Redford, managing director of Caterforce, is calling on suppliers to subscribe to Erudus to ‘work with the rest of the industry’.

Erudus enables manufacturers to quickly share changes to ingredients and allergen information with more than 100 wholesalers at the click of a button.

And Nick says Caterforce’s members place huge value on suppliers who use Erudus because of the benefits to everyone in the foodservice chain.

“Erudus is used by 117 wholesalers and 85,000 caterers,” he said. “It’s a no brainer that manufacturers should also be using it.

“Many suppliers still use the likes of Microsoft Excel and Word to provide updates to product data. This can have big consequences for wholesalers and caterers. For example, it increases the risk of human error and an end user being supplied incorrect allergen information.

“In addition, this manual process is a massive time burden. In Erudus, the manufacturer updates the product once and it’s communicated to wholesalers and caterers instantly.

“It’s time for all suppliers to see the bigger picture and work with the rest of the industry. It could be the difference between supplying a wholesaler and not.”

One Caterforce member, Castell Howell, introduced SushiSushi to Erudus and the supplier has increased sales as a direct result of signing up to the software.

Stuart Turner, founder and managing director of SushiSushi, said: “We were impressed by the features and made the decision to integrate it into our existing processes. We’ve been using Erudus for one year now and it’s fantastic.

“It adds credibility to our brand. It has allowed us to break through the glass ceiling to deal with large organisations and add significant clients to our growing customer list.

“Being a part of Erudus proves you are not a fly-by-night operation. It also shows potential customers you are capable of successfully handling big clients, for example those with multiple sites.”

It’s been a busy year for Erudus, which has seen its partnership with Nielsen Brandbank go from strength to strength, as well as launched integration partnerships within Lady Lodge Systems’ apps and SwiftCloud’s mobile ordering app to further enhance the benefits for foodservice professionals.

Jon Shayler, chief operating officer at Erudus, said: “The message from wholesalers is simple: join Erudus and use the software your customers use.

“Erudus is the largest foodservice data pool in the UK, and we are positioned to bring the entire food industry together by offering a single place for its data needs.

“In addition to encouraging new manufacturers to come on board, it’s vital that existing suppliers keep their product info up to date.”

For more information, visit https://erudus.com/.