Inventory management for food and pharma with Exact Online
The food and pharmaceutical sectors place the highest demands on inventory management. Expiry dates, batch traceability, FEFO dispatch and strict regulations make stock management significantly more complex than in other sectors. Exact Online provides support for batch management and storage locations, but without the right scanning solution on the warehouse floor, these features remain underutilised. The Barcode Scan App makes the difference.
Why food and pharma have different inventory management requirements
Expiry date management: Products with a limited shelf life require FEFO dispatch (First Expired, First Out). The product with the shortest shelf life must be dispatched first. Manually checking which batch has the shortest expiry date is time-consuming and error-prone — especially with large stocks containing many batches.
Batch traceability: European legislation (EU Regulation 178/2002 for food, EU Directive 2011/62 for pharma) requires complete product traceability. In case of a quality issue or recall, you must be able to determine within hours which customers received a specific batch, which batches are still in stock and from which supplier the batch originated. This is only possible with accurate batch registration in Exact Online.
GS1 DataMatrix and complex barcodes: The food and pharma sectors increasingly use GS1 DataMatrix barcodes. These 2D barcodes contain multiple data elements in a single code: item number (GTIN), batch number, expiry date and for pharmaceutical products also a serial number. Not every scanning solution can correctly interpret these complex barcodes.
HIBC barcodes for medical devices: In the medical sector, the HIBC format (Health Industry Bar Code) is used alongside GS1. This format encodes item number, batch number and expiry date in a specific way that is not supported by all scanners.
GS1 DataMatrix: everything in one scan
The Barcode Scan App reads all common barcode formats, including GS1 DataMatrix, GS1-128 and HIBC. When scanning a GS1 DataMatrix barcode, all encoded fields are automatically recognised:
- GTIN (01): The item number is linked to the correct item in Exact Online.
- Batch number (10): The batch number is automatically filled in for the stock mutation in Exact Online.
- Expiry date (17): The expiry date is registered with the batch in Exact Online.
- Serial number (21): For pharmaceutical products, the unique serial number is recorded for serialisation requirements.
This means a single scan is sufficient to capture all relevant information in Exact Online. No manual entry of batch numbers or dates, no mistakes, no delays.
FEFO dispatch with the Barcode Scan App and Exact Online
The Barcode Scan App fully supports FEFO dispatch. When picking a sales order, the app automatically shows which batch should be dispatched first based on the expiry date in Exact Online. The employee is guided to the correct location and scans the product for verification.
If an employee accidentally picks a batch with a longer shelf life while a batch with a shorter shelf life is available, the app issues a warning. This prevents waste from expired products and ensures compliance with the FEFO requirement that is standard in the food and pharma sectors.
Batch traceability from receipt to delivery
With the Barcode Scan App, you register batch numbers at every step of the process:
Goods receipt: Upon receipt, you scan the GS1 barcode of each product. The batch number, expiry date and item number are automatically registered in Exact Online with the purchase order.
Storage: The product is stored at a location that you scan. In Exact Online, the following is now recorded: which item, which batch, which expiry date, at which location.
Delivery: When picking a sales order, you scan the product and the batch number is automatically registered with the goods delivery in Exact Online. The customer receives the product and Exact Online records which batch went to which customer.
Recall: Should there be a quality issue with a specific batch, you can immediately look up in Exact Online which customers received this batch and what quantities are still in stock. You can act targeted and quickly.
Benefits for food and pharma companies with Exact Online
- Regulatory compliance: Complete batch traceability in Exact Online for audits and recalls.
- Less waste: FEFO dispatch prevents products from expiring before they are sold.
- One scan, all data: GS1 DataMatrix barcodes contain item number, batch and expiry date in a single code.
- Faster receipt: No more manual entry of batch numbers and dates.
- Audit trail: Every mutation is recorded in Exact Online with timestamp, user and batch details.
Conclusion
Inventory management in the food and pharma sector is not optional but mandatory. The combination of strict regulations, expiry date management and traceability requirements makes barcode scanning indispensable. The Barcode Scan App for Exact Online offers everything food and pharma companies need: GS1 DataMatrix support, FEFO dispatch, complete batch traceability and seamless integration with Exact Online.
Discover how the Barcode Scan App can help your food or pharma business. Try it free for one month.