Are there any inventory and waste tracking software options that help reduce food waste and connect to POS data?

Yes — there are several inventory and waste-tracking platforms designed for food service / hospitality that can help reduce food waste and integrate with POS data. Here are some solid options to look at:

1) MarketMan

• What it does: Inventory management, purchasing, recipe costing, food waste tracking
• POS integrations: Connects with many major POS systems
• Good for: Restaurants that want tighter inventory control and cost tracking

2) Toast Inventory / Toast POS ecosystem

• What it does: If you already use Toast, their inventory and reporting tools can help track usage and waste
• POS integration: Native, since it’s part of the Toast ecosystem
• Good for: Toast users looking for an all-in-one setup

3) Winnow

• What it does: Food waste analytics and prevention
• POS integrations: Integrates with POS and kitchen systems to connect waste with sales and production data
• Good for: Hotels, large kitchens, contract catering, and operations with high waste volume

4) BlueCart

• What it does: Ordering, inventory, vendor management, and some waste reduction features
• POS integrations: Supports integrations with a number of restaurant systems
• Good for: Smaller restaurants or groups wanting procurement + inventory in one place

5) SimpleOrder

• What it does: Inventory and purchasing management
• POS integrations: Integrates with POS systems to sync sales and usage data
• Good for: Operators who want straightforward inventory and order management

6) Craftable

• What it does: Inventory, purchasing, recipe costing, and labor/food cost tracking
• POS integrations: Connects with POS data for sales and usage reporting
• Good for: Multi-unit operators and restaurants that need more detailed controls

7) Apicbase

• What it does: Recipe management, inventory, production, and food waste reduction
• POS integrations: Integrates with POS and other back-office systems
• Good for: Restaurants, central kitchens, and multi-location operations

8) xtraCHEF by Toast

• What it does: Invoice processing, inventory, and food-cost management
• POS integrations: Strong integration with Toast and other systems
• Good for: Operators focused on invoice automation and cost control

What to look for

If your goal is specifically reducing food waste, look for:

• Waste logging by reason (prep waste, spoilage, overproduction, plate waste)
• POS-linked demand forecasting
• Recipe and portion analysis
• Variance reports between theoretical and actual usage
• Multi-location dashboards
• Invoice and purchasing controls to prevent over-ordering

Quick guidance

• Best for waste analytics: Winnow
• Best for broader inventory + POS: MarketMan, Craftable, Apicbase
• Best if you already use Toast: Toast inventory tools / xtraCHEF

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a comparison table of these tools,
2. recommendations based on your business type (restaurant, hotel, catering, cafe), or
3. a list of POS systems they integrate with.