United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), a leading grocery distributor in the U.S., is actively working to recover from a major cyberattack that has severely impacted operations since last week.
Company officials revealed the incident officially on Monday, describing unauthorized access to multiple internal IT systems. On Tuesday, CEO Sandy Douglas addressed the issue publicly during the third-quarter earnings call, stating that UNFI is “diligently managing through the cyber incident” and putting in place temporary solutions to support customers as best they can.
Douglas informed investors that the company shut down its entire network infrastructure as a precautionary step to contain the threat. UNFI, the primary distributor for Amazon’s Whole Foods stores and provider of over 250,000 grocery items nationwide—including frozen foods—has acknowledged that the cyberattack has significantly disrupted its ability to process and distribute customer orders. The CEO added that UNFI was currently able to service customers only on a limited basis while they actively work to safely restore critical systems.
Several of UNFI’s customer interfaces and external-facing services such as web portals and VPN access remain offline, preventing normal interactions between suppliers, customers, and the company itself. A customer currently launching new products at Whole Foods reported significant delays without direct communication on the cyberattack’s impact from either UNFI or Whole Foods.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that shelves at some grocery retailers may already be experiencing reduced supplies, although it remains uncertain whether these shortages are a direct result of the cyber incident or stem from broader supply chain challenges. The long-term impact on retail stocks and customer experiences may become clearer in the coming days.
Whole Foods, a major UNFI customer, has stated it is actively working to quickly restock shelves across its stores but declined further comment, referring inquiries back to UNFI. UNFI spokespersons have not provided additional details or responded to requests for further clarification on the nature of the cyberattack or security measures in place at the company.
UNFI reported $8.1 billion in net sales for the quarter ending May 3, 2025, but had anticipated a dip in net income and earnings per share following the expiration of a significant supply contract in the northeastern U.S. Nevertheless, the company has opted not to revise its financial guidance at this stage due to an ongoing assessment of the damage and disruption caused by the cyberattack.
