The 5 real limitations of Excel for food cost
1. Price cascade doesn't exist
When a raw material price changes in Excel, you have to manually find all cells using it. In KoreLab you update the price once: all CPFs recalculate automatically.
2. No structured allergen management
Excel doesn't know that wheat flour contains gluten. In KoreLab allergens come from the ingredient and are automatically aggregated in every technical sheet.
3. No PDF technical sheet
Excel doesn't generate technical sheets compliant with EU Reg. 1169/2011. In KoreLab the technical sheet is generated in one click from the updated recipe.
4. Hidden formula errors
A complex Excel spreadsheet has a high probability of containing hidden formula errors. KoreLab uses application logic: the calculation is always correct.
5. No automatic standardisation
Excel doesn't automatically normalise ingredient quantities to 1 Kg. In KoreLab normalisation is automatic for any batch size.
Feature comparison
| Feature | KoreLab | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic CPF calculation | ✓ | Manual formulas |
| Price cascade | ✓ | Manual update |
| EU 14 allergens | ✓ | Manual list |
| Automatic nutritional values | ✓ | Manual calculation |
| PDF Technical Sheet | ✓ | Not available |
| Recipe normalisation | ✓ | Manual formulas |
| PDF price lists with logo | ✓ | Not available |
| Monthly cost | €0–€34,90 | €0 (included in Office) |
Beyond food cost: where Excel leaves you on your own
Today a food workshop needs more than knowing how much a product costs: it needs HACCP self-monitoring, audit-proof records and — increasingly — a voluntary certification (IFS Food, BRCGS, ISO 9001/22000, FSSC 22000). This is where the spreadsheet stops.
1. The self-monitoring manual must stay alive, not in a Word file
In Word/Excel the manual ages and diverging versions appear: at the audit no one knows which one is valid. KoreLab keeps a versioned manual (draft, approved, obsolete), the hazard analysis by step and the gap analysis on the active standard, always aligned.
2. A spreadsheet can be edited without a trace
For the auditor an Excel offers no guarantee of who wrote what and when. KoreLab records are append-only (ALCOA+): a correction is a traced reversal, with PIN electronic signature and a verifiable chained (hash) seal.
3. A manual mock recall costs hours
Tracing from a raw-material batch to finished products and customers, on paper delivery notes, is painfully slow exactly when time is short. KoreLab tracks batches and runs the one-step-back / one-step-forward mock recall in a few clicks.
4. Several standards at once, without redoing everything
With several standards active, equivalent requirements are unified: a single piece of evidence covers multiple clauses (HACCP + IFS/BRCGS/ISO/FSSC). In Excel each standard is a separate sheet to realign by hand.
5. Your consultant works with you, not over email
No more files bouncing over email in different versions. The consultant gets read-only access and sends signed change proposals; the company confirms and signs (dual signature) and everything stays sealed in the dossier.
Comparison: quality & certifications
| Feature | KoreLab | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Versioned HACCP manual | ✓ | Diverging versions |
| Hazard analysis by step (L×S) | ✓ | Manual |
| Append-only records (ALCOA+) | ✓ | Editable without a trace |
| Batch traceability + mock recall | ✓ | Manual search |
| Multi-standard gap analysis | ✓ | Not available |
| Non-conformities & CAPA | ✓ | Unstructured |
| Deadline planner (audits, calibrations) | ✓ | Manual reminders |
| PIN signature + hash seal | ✓ | Not available |
| Consultant collaboration (signed proposals) | ✓ | Files over email |
When Excel can still be enough
Excel can be enough if you have fewer than 5 stable products, frozen raw-material prices, no technical sheets to hand to buyers and — above all — no certification path or audit in sight. The moment you need to document allergens, keep food cost up to date or demonstrate audit-proof self-monitoring, the spreadsheet starts costing you more than it saves.