United Natural Foods (UNFI), a major North American food distributor, announced it is making significant strides in its recovery efforts following a cyberattack earlier this month, even as grocery stores dependent on its supplies continue to report shortages.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the company reported progress in restoring its critical electronic ordering systems, which thousands of grocery stores utilize to place product orders and maintain inventory levels. The cyberattack, which occurred on June 5 and was publicly disclosed several days later, forced UNFI to halt operations across its network to prevent further damage and protect its systems.
While the exact nature of the cyberattack remains undisclosed, the company had previously informed investors that the disruption forced a total shutdown of its networks, significantly impacting its ability to process and distribute customer orders across the United States and Canada.
Whole Foods, a major grocery chain that relies heavily on UNFI as its primary distributor, continues to face substantial disruptions. Many of its stores are reporting noticeable product shortages on shelves. Employees at stores in several locations—including California and New York—have told media outlets that key items have been missing for days and that the shortage is affecting a wide range of products and supplies.
Whole Foods previously indicated that it is actively working to replenish inventory and return to normal operations as soon as possible, but has not given an exact timeframe on when the disruptions might end.
Other grocery retailers, ranging from smaller local shops to large national supermarket chains, have reported experiencing varying degrees of disruption due to the UNFI outage. Some stores have turned temporarily to alternative distributors to source products, while others remain significantly affected, with reduced inventory and challenges in order management.
UNFI has not yet provided an estimated timeline for full restoration of services.
