Here is what you need to know about packaging in nutraCoster.

1. Packaging items are added to the Master Items List. You use them as ingredients in recipes just like any other items.

2. To indicate that an item is a packaging item, check the Packaging checkbox in the New Item or Change Item window (use the Add or Change Master Items procedure).

3. Items marked as packaging items appear in the Packaging Costs section of the Costed Recipes/Formulas report and the Product Cost Summary report.

4. You can define units for packaging items as you would for any item. Refer to the article Defining Units of Measure for instructions. Exact weight of the units is not critical since there is no nutrition, but it doesn't hurt to get it close. If your packaging unit weights are accurate, you can calculate an accurate shipping weight of your products.

5. You enter costs for packaging items as you would for any item. Use the Add or Change Master Items or Enter Ingredient Costs procedures. Use the units you have defined for the packaging items to specify the cost.

We recommend that you incorporate packaging items as follows:

1. Enter a recipe for the food-only part of your product. This allows you to do the nutrition analysis without worrying about packaging items.

2. Enter a separate recipe for the packaged product. This allows you to create the Costed Recipes/Formulas report for the packaged product.

You can do this because nutraCoster allows you to use any recipe as an ingredient in another recipe. You use the food-only recipe as an ingredient in the packaged product recipe.

For example, you might have a recipe for a batch of cheesecakes. You would then enter a recipe for a packaged cheesecake which includes one cheesecake, one cake board, one box, a label and some tape.

If the box weighs 4 ounces, you would define a unit for the box as "1 box = 4 oz". If a roll of tape is 50 feet and weighs 3 ounces, you would define a unit for the tape as "50 ft = 3 oz".

Note that you can enter your packaged recipe for any number of packaged products, as long as the quantities of each ingredient are correct.