button next to the field and select another from the page that appears.The Purchasing Tab deals with most of the information associated with purchasing and storing the item. In addition to order frequencies, minimum orders and par levels, this tab includes fields for thaw time, shelf life and accounts payable information. The tab is also used for assigning the Inventory Group that receives purchases of this item.
Finally, the Purchasing Tab also contains a button for adding and editing Vendor Information. This allows you to list each vendor from which you purchase this item, along with the vendor’s Item Code, Unit, and SKU. In the event substitute items are purchased from the same vendor, you can make multiple entries from the same vendor. For example, if you buy three different brands of ketchup, you would list all three here, even though there would only be one ketchup item in your database.
Click on a field label below for help on what information you need to enter into that field.
This field shows how much you pay (or have paid since the last invoice) for each Reference Unit. FOOD-TRAK automatically updates this field each time you enter an invoice; however, you may want to fill it in when you first enter an item into your database.
If you wish the Cost based on a unit other than the Reference Unit, click the ... next to the field. You may choose any of the unit measurements defined on the Units tab.
The Purchase Location is the Inventory Group in which the item is first stored upon delivery.
To change the Purchase Location, click the button next to the field and select another from the page that appears.
Purchase Location by Profit Center
The item's thaw time (an optional field) is the amount of time it takes for a frozen item to thaw before it may be used in food preparation.
The item Shelf Life is the period of time an item can be stored in an Inventory Location. Once an item's shelf life has expired, the food is deemed unsuitable for food preparation and discarded.
Order Frequency refers to the number of days between orders of the item. For example, if the item is ordered daily and arrives the next day, the order frequency is 1 (day). Items that arrive once a week have a frequency of 7 (days). This number is used to help determine reorder quantities and control inventory levels.
Minimum Order is the smallest number of Purchase Units you can order from your vendor per shipment. Generally, 1 Purchase Unit would be the smallest; however, you can enter a decimal amount if the vendor allows you to break cases or otherwise purchase in smaller quantities than the Purchase Unit.
Conversely, if you are buying shrimp by the pound, (the Purchase Unit), and incomes in 5 pound boxes, your minimum order would be 5.
As opposed to the Par Levels found on the Inventory tab, which keep track of the par for individual storage locations, the par levels on the Purchasing tab keep track of the par for the item throughout your operation as a whole.
Minimum Par is the level of inventory for the item that you would not want to go below. In other words, the minimum amount of stock you will tolerate for the item. The number is entered in Inventory Units.
The Par Level controls on the Purchasing tab keep track of the par for the item throughout your operation.
Maximum Par is the highest amount of this item you want in stock at any given time. This number is entered in Inventory Units and is used in the same way as the Minimum Par.
Select the General Ledger Account Number you want this item's purchases charged against. Account numbers entered here take precedence over any other account numbers entered in the Group or Vendor Editors. If you want to be absolutely certain that purchases for this item are charged to the right account, enter the appropriate account number here.
The Vendor Information page provides you with the name of any vendor or vendors, as well as item Codes, Units of Measure, SKUs and product descriptions used by those vendors. It is with the information provided on this form that FOOD-TRAK connects the item with its vendor and brand names.
Click the 
button to expand and view Vendor Information.
Vendor Information displays pertinent information about how the vendor deals with the item. Displayed are the Item Code, Unit Size, the SKU, and a description of the item as made by the vendor.
Click Add to create purchasing information for a new vendor.
Click the button at the left of a Vendor Name to select it and click Remove to delete the vendor's purchasing information.
Click the button at the left of a Vendor Name to select it and then click Edit to change any of the existing information.
If you click Add or Edit, the Item Code Properties menu appears. The fields should contain the following data:
Vendor From the drop-down list, select the name of the vendor from whom you purchase the item. If the vendor is not on the list, select <Add New> and the Vendor Editor will appear.
Item Code The Item Code is the vendor's ID of an item and is usually in numeric form. Utilizing Item Codes, instead of item names on an invoice makes entry onto that form easy. If the vendor is part of an online ordering system, this code will be used for ordering.
Unit of Measure By default, the Item Code Properties menu displays the unit measurement you defined as your Purchase Unit (on the Units tab of the Item Editor). You can change this unit size by selecting another from the drop-down list.
EFR/UPC You have the option of entering the vendor's barcode reference for the item. EFR, or "Efficient Foodservice Response" and UPC, "Universal Product Code" are the two formats most used by the food service industry.
Vendor's Description
You can optionally type the vendor's description of the item. This is how the vendor specifically refers to the item. For example, Whole Dill Pickles are referred to as Kshr,Dill,Whl by one vendor and as PKL,WhlDl by another.
These designations appear on Purchase Orders so that vendors can recognize their own product names or codes for items that may go by different names in your operation.
Click OK to enter your new information and close the Item Code Properties menu.
Click OK on the Vendor Description menu to enter your new information and collapse it.