The FAFH Glossary
The food-away-from-home (FAFH) industry is powered by its own unique language. Use this glossary to understand the key terms and concepts that drive our go-to-market intelligence solutions and the industry at large.
A
Alias
One of the many names for an entity found in source data. In the FAFH ecosystem, a single operator location can have many transactional account and member numbers.
Apples to Apples Comparison
A comparison that ensures last year’s data contains the same number of fiscal weeks as current year data, allowing for accurate Year-over-Year (YOY) analysis.
B
Billback
A payment from the manufacturer to the distributor after the distributor sells a specific product volume to an operator, often as part of a trade agreement.
C
Case Volume
The number of product cases sold or shipped.
Category White Space
A type of untapped sales opportunity that identifies locations that are buying some of your product categories, but not a specific product category you select.
Commercial Operator
An end user or establishment whose primary purpose is to prepare and sell food (e.g., a local diner or restaurant chain).
Contract Pricing
Pre-negotiated pricing agreements between a manufacturer and an operator or buying group.
D
Data Collaboration
The strategic integration of diverse data sources from various entities to generate deeper, more insightful answers than any single source could provide.
Data Ecosystem
A system where different data sources and platforms are interconnected to create a unified, valuable signal. Tibersoft's OPTRADE is the industry's leading FAFH data ecosystem.
Data Latency
The delay between when a transaction occurs and when that data becomes available for reporting and decision-making.
Data Visibility
The ability to see and access data in a clear and timely manner.
Direct Sales
Sales made directly from a manufacturer to a very large operator, bypassing intermediaries like distributors.
Distributor
An intermediary that buys products from manufacturers, stores them in distribution centers, and sells them to operators.
Double-Dipping
The improper claim of the same rebate or discount by more than one party, or by the same party more than once, leading to trade spend leakage.
E
Explore
A dashboard within the ExplorePRO application that allows users to get a holistic view of business health.
ExplorePRO
ExplorePRO is Tibersoft's application that provides FAFH Manufacturers the view to grow their businesses.
F
Food-away-from-home
Meals consumed outside of the home, including at restaurants, cafeterias, schools, and hospitals.
G
GPO (Group Purchasing Organization)
An organization that leverages the collective purchasing power of its members to negotiate trade contracts and pricing with manufacturers and distributors on behalf of smaller-scale operators.
I
Indirect Sales
Sales made through distributors rather than directly from the manufacturer to the operator.
N
Non-Commercial Operator
An end user or establishment whose primary purpose is not the sale of food (e.g., hospitals, K-12 schools, university dining halls).
O
Operator
The end user or establishment that prepares and serves food, such as a restaurant, hospital kitchen, or school cafeteria.
Operator-Level Data
Purchase data that is tied to a specific, named, and geo-tagged operator location, as opposed to aggregated data.
OPTRADE
Tibersoft's proprietary FAFH data collaborative. OPTRADE has brought together manufacturer, distributor, and operator data to create a shared, holistic view of the market.
R
Rebate
A payment from a manufacturer to an operator based on the terms outlined in a trade contract.
Redistributor
An intermediary that buys products from manufacturers and resells them in smaller quantities to other distributors, not directly to operators.
S
Segments
The type or category of operator being served, such as Commercial (restaurants) or Non-Commercial (schools, hospitals).
SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique identifier for each distinct product item.
T
Trade Agreements
Financial arrangements, such as rebates or billbacks, between manufacturers, operators, and distributors to incentivize large-quantity purchases.Transaction-Verified Data
Data sourced from actual purchase events, such as trade claims and distributor velocity files, as distinct from modeled or inferred data.
U
Unit of Measure (UOM)
Quantitative measurements through which users can view data at different levels, such as Ship-To Count, True Cases, Footprint, and Penetration.
V
Velocity Data
Product sell-through data shared by a Distributor, Operator, or GPO with a Manufacturer, typically at the location level.
