Whole Foods warns of shortages after cyberattack at its primary distributor UNFI

Whole Foods has alerted its employees about significant supply chain issues stemming from a cyberattack on its main distributor, United Natural Foods (UNFI). According to an internal message, the Amazon-owned supermarket chain indicated that the problems caused by the nationwide system outage at UNFI could take several days to resolve. The communication revealed that the cyber incident hindered UNFI's capability to manage product selection and shipping from their warehouses, leading to delays in delivery schedules and reduced product availability for Whole Foods. Employees were advised to limit customer communications, with the only approved statement being that the grocery chain is experiencing 'temporary supply challenges.' Nathan Cimbala, a spokesperson for Whole Foods, expressed the company's commitment to replenishing stock as swiftly as possible and apologized for the inconvenience caused to customers. However, the company did not clarify how it determined that the situation might be resolved within a few days. UNFI, a major player in North America's food distribution sector, announced it is making headway in restoring its systems. Grace Turiano, a UNFI spokesperson, confirmed that the company is gradually reinstituting ordering and receiving functionalities, aiming to enhance their capacity in the upcoming days. The cyberattack was disclosed by UNFI in a report to federal regulators, with CEO Sandy Douglas revealing that the company took its entire network offline after discovering the breach. Despite reporting $8.1 billion in net sales for the quarter ending May 3, 2025, the repercussions of this incident are evident, with reports of empty shelves at Whole Foods and other grocery stores supplied by UNFI. Notices regarding 'temporary out of stock issues' were visible in multiple aisles during a visit to a Whole Foods store, highlighting the immediate impact of the cyberattack. The full extent of the disruption is expected to become more apparent later this week as the situation unfolds.