Whole Foods Shortages: Cyberattack Impacts Supply Chain

UNFI Cybersecurity Incident Disrupts Whole Foods Supply Chain

Whole Foods Market has informed its staff that resolving the current disruptions stemming from issues at its primary supplier, United Natural Foods (UNFI), could require “several days.”

Cyberattack at UNFI

An internal communication, reviewed by TechCrunch, details that UNFI is currently experiencing a “nationwide technology system outage.” UNFI itself has characterized this event as a cybersecurity incident.

The communication to Whole Foods employees explains that this cyberattack is hindering UNFI’s “ability to select and ship products from their warehouses.” Consequently, normal delivery schedules and product availability will be affected.

Communication Guidelines for Staff

Instructions were included for Whole Foods staff to carefully manage customer interactions. Employees are limited to a “single approved customer talking point”: the grocery chain is facing “temporary supply challenges.”

Nathan Cimbala, a Whole Foods spokesperson, confirmed to TechCrunch that they are “working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible” and apologized for any resulting inconvenience to customers.

The basis for the estimated resolution timeframe of a few days was not disclosed by Whole Foods.

UNFI's Recovery Efforts

UNFI reported on Wednesday that progress is being made in restoring its systems.

According to UNFI spokesperson Grace Turiano, the company is “steadily working to safely restore our systems and provide the services our customers and suppliers know and expect from us.” They are gradually bringing ordering and receiving capabilities back online, aiming to increase capacity in the coming days.

UNFI's Role in North American Food Distribution

UNFI stands as one of the largest food distributors in North America. It supplies grocery items and fresh produce to over 30,000 stores and supermarkets throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The company publicly disclosed the cyberattack on Monday via a filing with federal regulators. UNFI’s chief executive, Sandy Douglas, informed investors that the entire network was taken offline last Friday upon detection of the intrusion.

In a separate announcement this week, UNFI reported $8.1 billion in net sales for the quarter ending May 3, 2025.

Impact on Stores and Customers

Since initial reporting on Tuesday, TechCrunch has received multiple reports of depleted shelves at various Whole Foods locations and other stores that depend on UNFI for supplies.

A Whole Foods store visited by a TechCrunch reporter on Tuesday displayed notices in multiple aisles indicating a “temporary out of stock issue” for certain products.

The full extent of the impact on grocery stores and consumers is likely to become clearer later this week.

Contact Information

Do you have additional information regarding the cyberattack at UNFI? Are you a business customer affected by this disruption? You can securely reach this reporter via encrypted message on Signal at zackwhittaker.1337.

This article was originally published on June 10 and has been updated with the latest information from a UNFI spokesperson regarding their recovery efforts.