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TO STORE SHELVES & HUNGRY HOUSEHOLDS
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downstream
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Once a product leaves our trucks, the work isn’t done – we are acutely aware of the impact our partners have on local communities and the planet. From how we market the products we supply, to the local organizations our associates support with their volunteer hours, we always aim to be responsible community members.
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What does 'local' mean to UNFI?
We consider local communities to be any group of people living or working in areas that are impacted, either positively or negatively, by our operations, associates, or customers.
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Access to Natural Foods
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Zero Waste to Landfill
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Associate Volunteerism
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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.
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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.
What does ‘natural’ mean?
In the absence of a consistent definition for ‘natural’, we’re taking steps to align with the Nielsen ‘Clean Label’ definitions and attributes, which are measured across five values: Conventional, Free From, Clean, Simple, and Sustainable.
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We have made traction in our overall waste reduction efforts, but we are still evaluating how our packaging contributes to our holistic waste footprint. We are at the beginning of our journey, but need to remember that not all packaging is inherently bad. We rely on it for food safety, quality assurance, and ease of transport.
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We started with an audit of a sampling of our distribution centers to figure out the exact materials that make up the packaging we use in everyday operations – looking at everything from pallets to protective coverings. With the results of that audit in hand, we can work on improving year-over-year by mitigating virgin cardboard and plastic, reducing and reusing materials, recycling and composting, and finally treating and disposing of waste as a last resort.
We started this work in our distribution centers and are now also looking downstream to further amplify our efforts. As part of our Professional Services offerings, customers can take advantage of new food waste and shrink reduction technologies that precisely monitor metrics, such as storage temperature, serving sizes, and more.
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Our new volunteer champion campaign was established to drive volunteerism among our associates and adoption of the Associate Action Hub platform. Our senior leadership team helped to identify volunteer champions who drive the campaign forward, and associates who logged volunteer hours received redeemable rewards points.
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While our remote work policy offers associates greater flexibility and allows us to seek talent on a national scale, it also means that teams may not be located near one another, which has had a notable impact on the way associates organize to volunteer. Associates are still able to virtually organize and participate in several company-wide fundraising and volunteer events each year. We will continue to expand volunteering opportunities and are proud to see our associates show up and make lasting impacts in our broader communities.
Company-wide volunteerism events through our Helping Hands program include delivering meals to those in need, setting up food drives for people and pets, championing fundraising walks and runs, and organizing park and other trash cleanups.
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Looking downstream means monitoring how we’re impacting the communities in which we live and work and providing even more valuable information and services to our customers.
Food Equity Project Grant
In 2022, the UNFI Foundation launched the Food Equity Grant – our largest ever grant to date. In 2023, we focused exclusively on projects supporting equitable food business development, and expanded the scope beyond Rhode Island. The 2023 recipients of the Food Equity Project Grant include The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and the Nourish and Bloom Foundation.
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Improving Inventory Visibility
This year, we officially rolled out a Reverse Logistics Disposition Reporting (RLDR) system that helps us to mitigate waste at the source, improve our procurement and merchandising teams’ buying decisions, assess possible sources of inventory-based food waste, and identify market-ready solutions for products that have challenging end-of-life options in the current market.
UNFI Foundation Strategic Plan
This year, the UNFI Foundation embarked on a strategic planning process to clarify our mission and expand our outreach to more profoundly impact the communities we aim to serve. We solidified a UNFI Foundation Strategic Plan, which centers a collaborative philanthropy model, outlines our main funding priorities, and reveals our strategic direction for the next five years. Once in action, this plan will strengthen our ability to leverage our expertise to work toward a food system that is truly better for all.
Associate-Giving Campaigns
This year, we carried out one of our most successful cause-specific, associate-giving campaigns to date through the Associate Action Hub. We raised over $12,000 for the National Black Farmers Association during Black History Month, through which UNFI matched $6,000 raised by associates.
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.
CUB Community Markets in Minneapolis
We’re honored to have received the 2021 Community Uplift Award from the Food Industry Association for the CUB Foods Northside Community Center and youth development program in North Minneapolis, which served the local community as a nonprofit under the CUB Foundation with temporary food market and shuttle services in North Minneapolis neighborhoods.