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Whole Foods shelves started emptying last week. Not from consumer panic—from a cyberattack that hit their primary distributor.

Link to article:

UNFI: Another Reminder of Cyberattack Risks on Supply Chains
The cyberattack on UNFI is another reminder that the risk of experiencing a supply chain disruption due to a cyberattack remains very high.
Talking Logistics with Adrian GonzalezAdrian Gonzalez

Additional Analysis:

The UNFI Wake-Up Call

United Natural Foods (UNFI) disclosed unauthorized access to its IT systems on June 9. Within days, Whole Foods was telling staff the attack was affecting UNFI's "ability to select and ship products from their warehouses" and would "impact normal delivery schedules and product availability."

The company recovered relatively quickly, but the disruption was real.

The Uncomfortable Data

Recent supply chain research reveals why incidents like this keep happening:

  • 56% of executives admit they're only "somewhat prepared" or "not prepared at all" if their ERP goes down for days
  • 40% say the same about their WMS and supply chain planning systems
  • 32% aren't ready for TMS outages

Beyond Basic Security Patches

While keeping systems updated matters, operational continuity planning is where most organizations fail. The companies that recover quickly have:

Operational Segregation: Critical warehouse automation isolated from corporate networks

Manual Backup Processes: Ability to fulfill orders and move inventory without primary systems for 48-72 hours

Alternative Communication: Direct supplier and customer contact methods when normal channels fail

Recovery Priorities: Pre-defined sequence for bringing systems back online

Three Questions That Matter

  1. Can you fulfill orders manually for 72 hours?
  2. Do you have offline visibility into inventory locations?
  3. How quickly can you activate backup suppliers?

If you're honest about the answers, you probably understand why 56% of supply chain leaders admit they're unprepared.

The Bottom Line

UNFI recovered, but imagine this happening during peak season or lasting weeks instead of days. The supply chain leaders investing in operational cyber resilience—not just cyber prevention—will be serving customers when others can't.

What's your realistic assessment of your operational backup capabilities right now?

56% of Supply Chain Leaders Aren't Ready for What Just Hit UNFI