Regulatory pressure on food manufacturers isn't easing up in 2026, and the cost of getting a recall wrong is measured in more than just the product pulled off shelves. It's the customer trust that doesn't come back at the same rate the product does. Changes like the EU sachet ban are adding new operational complexity on top of allergen and recall obligations that were already demanding - which makes now a reasonable time to check whether your current system is actually ready

Growth through acquisition or international expansion is good news for the business and bad news for whoever owns the month-end close. Every new entity, currency, or country adds another set of books that has to line up with the rest — and most finance teams find out how much work that is only after the second or third entity is already live. It rarely feels like a crisis at first. One extra entity is manageable with a bit more effort each month. It's the third or fourth that

A stockout costs you a sale today and a customer's patience tomorrow. Overstock costs you warehouse space and cash tied up in products that aren't moving. Most mid-market manufacturers are managing both risks at once, usually with a forecasting process that wasn't built for the volume they're now running. Why Spreadsheet and Gut-Feel Forecasting Breaks Down at Mid-Market Scale At a smaller scale, a planner who knows the business well can forecast reasonably by feel, backed by