Whole Foods Faces Supply Chain Disruptions Due to UNFI Cybersecurity Incident
Whole Foods Market has informed its employees that the ongoing interruptions with its primary distributor, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), could take several days to resolve. This update comes in light of a “nationwide technology system outage” that UNFI attributes to a cybersecurity breach.
Details of the Cyber Incident
In an internal communication obtained by TechCrunch, Whole Foods articulated that the cyberattack is hampering UNFI’s capability to select and ship products from their distribution centers. This disruption is expected to significantly affect normal delivery schedules and product availability across Whole Foods locations.
To manage customer inquiries, Whole Foods has directed its staff to limit communications and provided a single approved message for customers: the grocery chain is currently facing “temporary supply challenges.”
Company Statements and Background
Nathan Cimbala, a spokesperson for Whole Foods, stated, “We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.” However, UNFI has not responded to requests for additional comment, nor has it provided a specific timeline for system recovery.
UNFI is recognized as one of North America’s largest food distributors, supplying grocery products and fresh produce to over 30,000 retail outlets across the U.S. and Canada. The company disclosed the cyberattack in a recent filing with federal regulators and reported that it took its entire network offline after detecting the intrusion last Friday.
On the financial side, UNFI reported $8.1 billion in net sales for the quarter ending May 3, 2025, demonstrating its substantial role in the market.
Customer Impact and Observations
Reports suggest that several Whole Foods locations are experiencing empty shelves and product shortages due to the disruption with UNFI. Observations from a recent visit indicated that stores are displaying notices about “temporary out of stock issues” for various items.
While the immediate effects are evident, the broader impact on grocery stores and their customer base may not be fully realized until later in the week.
For further information or to share experiences regarding the UNFI cyberattack, individuals can reach out securely to the reporter via encrypted message on Signal.
Conclusion
As Whole Foods navigates these supply chain challenges due to UNFI’s cybersecurity incident, both companies are working diligently to minimize customer inconvenience and restore normal operations. The situation remains fluid, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
