UNFI SERVICE DISRUPTION UPDATE

Update 6/17/2025

Darn it—we are still experiencing delivery issues with UNFI.

For those who missed the original announcement back over a week ago, UNFI, our primary distributor, suffered a cyberattack that resulted in them being unable to take or deliver any orders. From that time, they have been working hard to get their systems back up and running. FYI: UNFI, is a publicly traded company (not owned by Amazon as erroneously reported last week), is a nationwide distributor and their systemwide breakdown has affected stores across the country, not just us locally.

For me, I was transported back to the early days of the pandemic, when we were unable to get all the products we wanted, needed or even ordered. Last time this resulted in staff at the Co-op working hard to develop alternative suppliers. It also brought home how fragile the global food system is- and the importance of supporting our local producers. For at that time—as is true now, we had tons of fresh local produce, plenty of coffee and wine, fresh bread and cheese, and most bulk items. Given the bounty of our local farmers and producers it is, as a friend of mine said” …, a stark reminder of how fragile a highly centralized food supply chain can be. When a single point of failure can ripple across thousands of grocery stores and communities, it’s time to ask: how can we build a more resilient food system?”

Fortunately, we hear UNFI is ramping back up their systems and it’s about to get better. Whew! In the meantime, thank you again and again to our members who donate to the Farm Fund those dollars are and will be making a difference to those producers who are supplying us today, when our national distributor can’t.

Warmly, Kenna