customer health & safety
-
We believe safe, fresh food is a human right. We work closely with our vendors and suppliers to source safe, high-quality products and we receive, store, handle, and transport these products in a manner that protects and maintains product safety and integrity. As part of our ever-evolving transparency journey, we’re also educating our customers on the multi-faceted nature of product sustainability.
-
-
How is this better for all?
Everyone should be able to make their own individual choices about the food they eat. There are many systemic barriers that make that a challenge, but our scale means we should take action.
-
OUR PEOPLE
Training our associates and partners on our strict food safety standards means we’re creating more skilled jobs.
-
OUR COMMUNITIES
Providing our customers with clear, relevant information about our products and services and keeping food safe helps them to better meet the needs of their communities.
-
OUR WORLD
Educating our customers on the benefits of sustainability and supporting food safety opens the door to more empowered food choices and more resilient, sustainable cities and communities.
-
On top of our robust food safety practices, our UNFI Professional Services team – in partnership with innovative vendors – is bringing retail business solutions to our customers that offer value-added services to market and address issues like food waste, plastic waste, recycling, workplace safety, and energy consumption.
-
Food Safety & Quality Assurance
-
Increasing Access to Natural Foods
-
Professional Services & Resources
We continue to strengthen our sanitation, pest, temperature control, and recall programs for a safer, and better customer experience. Our national team and Food Safety & Quality Assurance leaders in each region are responsible for managing food safety practices and making sure all the right checks and balances are in place. They perform internal risk assessments at least once per year to identify any concerns, so that we can quickly remedy any issues, and watch out for gaps in compliance with emerging regulations.
-
Our associates, however, are at the frontlines of keeping products safe – receiving, storing, handling, and transporting those products in a manner that protects and maintains their safety and integrity. We continue to improve our food safety practices and have the certifications and audit scores to show for it. We pursue leading certifications, including Good Distribution Practices (GDP) and Safe Quality Food (SQF) at all applicable distribution centers, which showcase our sites’ commitment to a culture of food safety and operational excellence in food safety management.
While our big focus is on safety in our distribution centers, we work closely with our partners to make sure safety isn’t compromised along our value chain. We conduct on-site visits to assess food safety compliance at individual supplier locations – where possible – rely heavily on proper labeling and certifications, including Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and monitor regulatory requirements, product recalls, and issuance of warning letters to help suppliers stay up to speed. We continue to improve our retail locations’ audit scores and connect with our downstream stakeholders to reflect their expectations around product quality and safety.
-
Thanks in large part to our acquisition of conventional distribution and retail a few years ago, we now serve natural and conventional stores across North America. That said, as part of our ongoing effort to come together as ‘One UNFI’, we’re moving beyond ‘natural’ and ‘conventional’ and getting more specific about the products we offer to customers.
-
We rely on clear and accurate labeling, including, but not limited to, third-party certifications and verified standards, to help us send easy-to-understand messages about the value of the products we’re helping put on shelves. We also work with reputable partners in the industry to provide relevant information to our customers on product sustainability and nutritional value to support their preferences. The better we are at increasing our collective understanding, the more we can do to and can do more to make fresh, nutritious, and affordable food available to communities across North America, and the more value we can deliver to customers.
-
From our food scientists to our category management experts, we help our customers get the right products on the shelf and give them the resources to make informed choices. Our UNFI Produce team sends tips to our retail partners for how to best display and sell responsibly-grown products. And, our Category Management team backs it all up with trend analysis and keen insights to help our customers be proud of the products they offer in their communities.
-
UNFI’s portfolio of owned and private-label brands is one of the most comprehensive available today. We offer turn-key products that differentiate retailers and capture consumer attention – from national brand equivalents to opening price points to gourmet, specialty and organic offerings. But, that’s not all. We now have new, innovative ways for retailers and suppliers to connect, and for customers to gain greater access to an ever-expanding list of trending, emerging, and local brands beyond our private-label programs. We also draw connections across our value chain through our displays, tradeshows, and customer connections.
-
We maintain a best-in-class food safety program throughout our wholesale distribution, private-label brands, manufacturing and retail grocery business, and are pleased with our traction of partnering with our customers to carry our values into communities across North America.
Organic Produce Rebrand
To make it easier for people to find and consume organic produce, we created a new brand strategy for our Certified Organic Wild Harvest produce line. The new application of a large, consistently applied USDA Organic logo and easily-identifiable purple packaging is part of what makes us able to sell more than 2.5 times the amount of organic produce compared to the national average.
Impact Best Practices
We share information via industry publications to support customers that are eager to improve the impact of their stores and facilities. For example, we provided a barcode within ‘Destination Fresh’ for retailers to learn about energy efficiency.
Safety Management
In our second year of our newly structured safety program that encompasses Environmental, Health and Safety, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, and Fleet Safety, we increased efficiencies and used deeper data tracking to strengthen our work in these realms.
End Caps to Show Support
After last year’s successful partnership with Stop & Shop to put custom end caps in over 400 stores to support LGBTQ+ suppliers, we formalized the service in 2023 and placed custom end caps in support of Hispanic Heritage month.
Nielsen's Clean Label
UNFI now aligns with these more substantial qualifiers and, as a result, we hope to be able to enhance our customer offerings, labeling and resources, better understand our customers' preferences and habits, and expand our distribution of 'Clean Label' products.
Inclusive Policies in Practice
As part of our dedication to ensuring that our offerings reflect the needs of our customer network, we developed a policy in FY2023 to guide our internal buyers through the selection of a more diverse slate of brands that would otherwise have reduced visibility as a result of limited resources. We plan to publish this policy in early FY2024, along with a training module for our sales and procurement teams.