2025 UNFI Cyberattack

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) is a major North American grocery distributor and a key supplier to Whole Foods Market.

What happened?

On 5 June 2025, UNFI detected unauthorised activity within its IT systems. It activated its incident response plan and deliberately took systems offline to contain the attack.

Operational impact:

The shutdown disrupted UNFI’s ability to process, fulfil and distribute customer orders. The company introduced manual workarounds while systems were restored, illustrating how a cyberattack can quickly move beyond IT and disrupt an entire physical supply chain.

Wider impact:

As a major supplier to Whole Foods and thousands of other retail locations, disruption affected product availability and supermarket replenishment. UNFI subsequently estimated that the incident would reduce its 2025 net sales by approximately $350 million to $400 million.

Recovery:

By 26 June 2025, UNFI reported that the incident had been contained and its core electronic ordering and invoicing systems had been safely restored, allowing operations to return towards normal levels.

Key learning

Cyber risk is business risk.

The UNFI case demonstrates the interdependence between cybersecurity, operations, supply chains, customers, financial performance and business continuity. An attack on digital infrastructure can rapidly create disruption throughout a much wider business ecosystem.

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