A massive cyberattack has left Whole Foods in a bit of disarray. The Amazon-owned grocery store had warned customers that after a cyberattack on its main supplier, their stores may be left with food shortages across the US. United Natural Foods, Inc (UNFI), which is the primary food distributor to Whole Foods, say the issue may take a ‘few days to resolve’ (Picture: Getty)

Are shelves empty?

Speaking to CNN, one barista and bakery employee at a Whole Foods located in Arkansas has revealed that shelves are already beginning to empty. They said: ‘Our frozen cooler is empty, our bread hearth is bare and customers are increasingly upset.’ The source, who requested to stay anonymous, said there is a ‘complete lack of transparency’ and that ‘nearly every department has been heavily impacted’ (Picture: Getty)

What happened?

According to internal communication, seen by TechCrunch, UNFI was experiencing a ‘nationwide technology system outage,’ which UNFI has described as a cybersecurity incident. The attack is affecting the company’s ‘ability to select and ship products from their warehouses’ which will ‘impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability’ (Picture: Getty)

Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala said: ‘We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.’ And UNFI spokesperson Grace Turiano told TechCrunch: ‘We continue working steadily to safely restore our systems and provide the services our customers and suppliers know and expect from us. As of today, we’re gradually bringing our ordering and receiving capabilities back online, with the goal of further increasing our capacity over the coming days’ (Picture: X/Julie Chang)

How long will this last?

It is currently unclear how large the issue is, but it seems to be significant as the company said it’s currently shipping to customers only on a ‘limited basis’. However, the situation appears serious, as the employee from Arkansas said: ‘We’ve spent time deep-cleaning our freezers – an unusual task – simply because our normally overstocked freezers are now completely bare’ (Picture: X/Julie Chang)

Have people noticed?

People have also taken to social media to report their own experiences. On X, Julie Chang posted: ‘At Whole Foods just now. Lotsa shelves empty. I asked what’s going on. One of the largest food distributors in the US got cyberattacked. That’s umm troubling the food supply can be disrupted this way.’ Another person, DonnaTruthDay, said: ‘I was in Whole Foods yesterday and shelves and freezers were empty everywhere! I was told their ordering system was down and wouldn’t let them reorder!’ And @bleehhhhhleo wrote: ‘whole foods was HACKED a few days ago. like the whole company. so now we arent getting shipments from your largest vendors. i literally have nothing to do at work cus theres nothing to bake the shelves are emptier than they were during covid’ (Picture: X/Julie Chang)

What is United Natural Foods?

UNFI is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of 'healthier food options' in the US and Canada, according to its website. It has 53 distribution centers and delivers goods to over 30,000 stores. In May 2024, it announced an eight-year extension to serve as primary distributor for Amazon-owned Whole Foods. It reported $8.2 billion in net sales in the 13-week period ending February 1, 2025 (Picture: X / Ed Cleary)