FoodLink® Expands Network Connectivity for Fresh Food Suppliers

Online, August 15, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Fresh food suppliers selling through FoodLink®, the buying platform used by leading food retailers and wholesalers, now have the ability to process orders with Costco and Stater Brothers, Inc. The new connections are available through FoodLink's unique Open EDI feature that enables organizations to use their FoodLink account to transact with any retailer that supports electronic data interchange (EDI).

"Staying competitive in today's market while meeting consumer demands for more and better information about your products pretty much requires being electronically connected with your trading partners," said Kevin Brooks, Chief Marketing Officer, FoodLink. "With these new EDI connections pre-built into the FoodLink network, we're making it easier and for our customers to plug in and succeed."

FoodLink is a buying platform that connects all of the participants in the fragmented perishable goods supply chain. The network consists of more than 2,000 retail grocers and their fresh food suppliers, including carriers and third-party brokers and wholesalers. The network helps retailers manage the fresh food category to source the highest quality products at competitive prices while reducing waste and inefficiencies across the supply chain. For suppliers, FoodLink is a sales platform that simplifies the process of managing orders, tracking shipments, responding to change requests and receiving payment.

In addition to the new EDI connections on the network, FoodLink also reported an increase in the number of suppliers choosing to integrate their back-end finance and accounting systems with the FoodLink network using FoodLink DirectConnect. During the first half of 2012, new DirectConnect customers included Gerawan Farming, Mastronardi Produce, Reser's Fine Foods, Seneca Foods Corporation and Windset Farms.

"We have been using FoodLink DirectConnect with our customers for several months," said Joe Canzoneri, Sales, Mastronardi Produce. "Overall we have found efficiencies with order input time being significantly reduced, freeing up time to focus on customer service. Another benefit is the decreased potential for entry errors with the elimination of manual order entry. Overall the transition to DirectConnect has been a benefit for Mastronardi Produce, making us more efficient, enhancing customer service and reducing operating costs."