United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), a major player in North America’s food distribution industry, is grappling with the aftermath of a cyberattack that has caused temporary disruptions across its network.

The Rhode Island-headquartered distributor, which serves more than 30,000 grocery retailers, e-commerce platforms, and foodservice outlets across the U.S. and Canada, reported that it was forced to shut down parts of its internal systems after detecting unauthorized activity on June 5.

In statements released through an SEC filing and its corporate website, UNFI confirmed that several systems were taken offline as a precautionary measure, impacting the company’s ability to process and deliver customer orders.

"We initiated our incident response protocols immediately, including isolating affected systems," the company noted. "While these steps were necessary for containment, they have caused some operational delays that we expect will continue in the short term."

To ensure uninterrupted operations, the company has implemented backup procedures that maintain customer service during system downtime.

“Our business continuity plan is helping us support customers while we restore impacted infrastructure,” the company added. “We are focused on resolving the issue safely and efficiently.”

Reports had already surfaced on social media in recent days suggesting internal disruptions, including shift cancellations and technical outages at various UNFI locations.

So far, the nature of the cyberattack remains unclear. The company has not confirmed whether any data was compromised or if ransomware was involved. No cybercriminal group has publicly taken credit for the breach.

UNFI now joins a growing list of food industry giants that have experienced cybersecurity incidents in recent years. Notably, Sam’s Club investigated a potential ransomware breach earlier this year, while JBS Foods paid an $11 million ransom in 2021 after a major attack halted operations globally.

Cybercriminal organizations have been increasingly targeting retail and food distribution firms, shifting their focus from European markets to the U.S. in recent months.

Despite the ongoing recovery efforts, UNFI plans to proceed with its scheduled release of financial results for its third fiscal quarter on Tuesday, May 20.