Food and Drug Distributor

A distributoris a link in the supply chain. This person serves as the middleman between the manufacturer of the product and the retailers. Though, many retailers, especially big brands, relate directly with the manufacturers, a lot of stores still work with the distributors in getting needed products to their stores.

Many retailers, however, avoid distributors and other middlemen. This is with the fact that more product handling before the product reaches the consumer, more expensive the product becomes. Big brands are looking at offering unbeatable prices to their customers. With the number of middlemen, this is hardly possible.

Notwithstanding, distributors are highly needed. In the world of pharmacy, distributors in this line are trained to ensure that prescription medications are delivered safely and efficiently to thousands of healthcare practitioners and pharmacies nationwide. As much as retailers may try to get deliveries straight from manufacturers, health care practitioners rely mostly on distributors.

Medications require safe handling. Their transportation and storage must be suited to individual specifications given by the manufacturer. Some medications may require room temperature and must be kept as such while some others may require cold storage. The situation is the same for food items. Not all food items can be stored the same way. This is why distributors in this line are properly trained to understand the peculiarities of the products they have in their warehouses.

Fortunately, most distribution companies foresee the need for these essentials and they prepare for them. Because of the need to distribute beyond national boundaries, there are carriers on air and water that feature state-of-the-art storage facilities that can be used in the event of special products.

Afood service distributoris a company that specializes in the distribution of food and non-food items to restaurants, cafeterias, industrial caterers, hospitals, and nursing homes. Food can be very delicate and sensitive to handle. Though this may depend on whether the food is ready-to-eat or food products to be prepared. Kitchens and restaurants prepare these foods and they have them distributed to places where they are needed ready-to-eat. In a hospital, food is needed but they have to get distribution of these products to be able to supply patients.

Food wholesalers are also actors in the supply chain as they sell food to other businesses. These get food items from manufacturers and sell to stores, and any other business dealing in the sales of food. It can however be the case that food manufacturers are taking over their own wholesale. This means food manufacturers can get their own products into retail. The distributor and the wholesaler are left out of the equation and the manufacturer uses his own agents or sales representatives to get his products distributed. This has proven to be favorable to the retailer and the manufacturer also benefits as the demand for the product is higher due to reduced price. However, the reach of the manufacturer can be very limited as distribution companies have direct networks to thousands of retailers.