Hackers Hit UNFI, Major Food Distributor For Whole Foods And US Military

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), which operates as the main supplier for Whole Foods and U.S. military commissaries, has confirmed cyberattack that caused operational disruptions, and system shutdowns.

The company announced through a regulatory filing that it discovered unauthorized network activity on June 5, before taking steps to shut down parts of its network.

“The incident has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, temporary disruptions to the Company’s business operations,” the company said.

UNFI, based in Providence, Rhode Island, is the largest full-service grocery distributor across North America. The company delivers products to more than 30,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada while serving Whole Foods and all four U.S. military retail exchanges, as reported by TechCrunch.

A spokesperson, Kristen Jimenez, told TechCrunch, “We are assessing the unauthorized activity and working to restore our systems to safely bring them back online.” She confirmed that law enforcement has been notified but did not comment on whether ransomware was involved.

The company maintains temporary operational solutions to serve customers, however, the service interruptions persist. Whole Foods told Reuters they’re “working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible.”

Experts warn the attack highlights vulnerabilities in the food distribution sector. Dr. Darren Williams of BlackFog said, “When attackers infiltrate backend systems, they can paralyze operations […] disrupt critical logistics and jeopardize timely food access for millions,” as reported by Cybernews

Nick Tausek of Swimlane added, “Downtime isn’t solely an operational inconvenience; it’s a race against spoilage, revenue and reputation loss,” as reported by Cybernews

The company has hired external cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident. The company has not established a timeline for achieving full recovery, as noted by TechCrunch.

Major retailers including Marks & Spencer and Harrods in the UK have become recent targets of cyberattacks, as hackers increasingly target the supply chains that keep shelves stocked, as noted by TechCrunch.