Better Health for All

UNFI's core business as a leading distributor of natural, organic, and specialty foods contributes positively to health, with 43.57% of its Fiscal Year 2024 revenue from certified organic and Non-GMO products.

The company demonstrates strong food safety, achieving 100% Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification across all eligible distribution centers in Fiscal Year 2025 , with a 96% average SQF score and 93% combined average for internal and external audits. A voluntary recall of organic basil occurred in 2020 due to potential contamination, with no reported illnesses. UNFI exhibits excellent risk transparency through clear labeling for allergens, dietary, and religious requirements , and by navigating the FDA's Food Traceability Rule. The company actively mitigates health externalities, having reduced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 47% since its Fiscal Year 2020 baseline and achieved 85% waste diversion from landfills in Fiscal Year 2025. For mental health, UNFI offers comprehensive programs for its associates, with 1,715 leaders completing mental health awareness training and 2,103 associates using a meditation app by Fiscal Year 2024. Additionally, 42% of eligible associates participated in a wellness program in Fiscal Year 2025. In public health education, UNFI-supported organizations provided healthy eating education to over 200,000 kids in 2021. The company also demonstrated advanced crisis response capabilities by mobilizing resources during natural disasters and providing water to a tribal community. However, UNFI's funding for health equity programs, including grants, impact investments, and nutrition incentives, totaled $3.2 million in Fiscal Year 2025 , representing approximately 0.01% of its $32 billion net sales , indicating minimal investment in this area.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

UNFI is a food distributor, not a financial institution. Therefore, KPIs related to lending, fees, debt products, and financial literacy are not applicable to its core business and score 0 as per the rubric's definitions for non-financial companies. While UNFI's Foundation provided $1.5 million in grants in 2025,

the percentage of annual pre-tax profit reinvested is not disclosed, preventing a score for profit_reinvestment. UNFI's supplier diversity efforts, including over $700 million in purchases from over 600 diverse suppliers in FY2022, do not align with the 'loan/insurance book' focus of the inclusion_initiatives KPI.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The CEO-to-median employee pay ratio for 2024 was 126:1.

Employee engagement, based on 2,637 reviews, averaged 2.8 out of 5 stars (56/100). The company has adjusted wage scales at distribution centers and introduced a profit-sharing plan for hourly employees in the past two years. Employee reviews also suggested potential issues with management practices and safety concerns.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

UNFI directed 2.47% of its total procurement spend to certified-diverse suppliers, amounting to $722.6 million with 735 suppliers.

The company requires annual third-party audits of its suppliers for compliance issues. Supplier agreements include clauses requiring suppliers to comply with all applicable federal, provincial, state, and local laws and regulations and to abide by company policies and guidelines. A Supplier & Vendor Code of Conduct was redrafted in 2023 to include labor and worker rights, safety and security, and environmental protection.

Honest & Fair Business

UNFI's Board of Directors has determined that 80% of its ten current members are independent, with annual assessments of director independence.

The company has a Reporting and Anti-Retaliation Policy, an Ethics Hotline, and an Ethics Hotline website, explicitly stating zero tolerance for retaliation and allowing reports without prior company authorization or notification. An Anti-Corruption Policy is in place, and UNFI commits to abiding by anti-corruption laws everywhere it does business, with specific gift and entertainment value thresholds. A recoupment policy for executives, applicable in the event of a financial restatement, was strengthened in October 2018. In June 2025, an investigation was initiated into potential securities law violations related to unauthorized activity on IT systems , following a cyberattack on June 5, 2025 , which led to a stock price decline of over 10%.

Kind to Animals

In FY2024, 73% of eggs sold by UNFI were sourced from cage-free, free-range, and pasture-raised environments.

The company published an official position statement and action plan for animal welfare standards in its supply chain in FY2023. As a distributor, UNFI does not have in-house or contracted animal testing operations.

No War, No Weapons

The provided articles focus on UNFI's responsible sourcing program, sustainability strategy, and social impact initiatives related to regenerative agriculture, supporting Black producers, and food distribution.

The company made a $100,000 investment in MadCapital's regenerative agriculture fund in 2023. The goal of this investment is to transition 25,000 acres of farmland. To date, 8 loans have been deployed to farmers, covering 5,000 acres. UNFI also invested $80,000 in the NMSDC Acres Program in 2023. This enabled 38 Black producers to secure 19 new contracts, over $8M in capital, and $65,000 in grants. The company awarded $1,030,000 in grants in 2023. The goal is to award $1.6M in annual grants. These grants supported over 1,700 acres of organic farmland and facilitated the distribution of over $6,607,988 worth of fresh food. UNFI employees volunteered over 17,000 hours between August 2023 and June 2024. The Acres Program aims to serve 30 Black farmers, with 90%+ achieving NMSDC certification, 80% accessing capital, 90% securing new contracts, and UNFI mentors dedicating over 40 hours collectively. No information or specific data points were found regarding the company's involvement in arms manufacturing, military contracts, dual-use technologies, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investments, conflict divestment policies, board oversight of defense, export controls, lobbying on arms control, humanitarian procurement standards, human rights due diligence in conflict areas, Arms Trade Treaty compliance, AI military safeguards, UN Guiding Principles alignment, dual-use screening, surveillance, ethical red lines, exposure to controversial weapons, war-risk audits, conflict partner reviews, defense divestment, conflict minerals, peace tech investment, or procurement from conflict zones.

Planet-Friendly Business

UNFI's emissions reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

including a 50% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, a 38% reduction in Scope 1 and 3 heavy freight well-to-wheel GHG emissions per tonne-kilometer, and a 25% reduction in absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, all by the end of Fiscal Year 2030. In Fiscal Year 2025, 42% of UNFI's electricity was sourced from renewables. The company achieved an 85% waste diversion rate from landfills in Fiscal Year 2025. For deforestation, 58% of sales volume for products containing palm oil and select derivatives and 64% for beef were compliant with UNFI's deforestation policy. UNFI is aligning its reporting with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). and considers different climate-related scenarios, including a 2°C or lower scenario, in its strategy.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents.

The company's business model as a food distributor does not inherently involve cultural contexts that would typically lead to such incidents.

Safe & Smart Tech

UNFI filed reports with the SEC on June 9, 2025, and via Form 8-K, regarding a cyberattack, demonstrating compliance with regulatory reporting requirements.

The Board of Directors' Audit Committee oversees cybersecurity, data privacy, and information technology, receiving quarterly updates from the CIO, CISO, and other management members. The company also has established policies and procedures covering data governance and protection.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

UNFI achieved a waste diversion rate of 72% at its distribution centers in FY2024, an increase from 58% in FY2020.

The company has implemented multiple waste reduction initiatives, including Lean Daily Management in 34 distribution centers , food waste audits at eight distribution centers in FY2024 , and partnerships with organizations like Feeding America, Environmental Defense Fund, and ReFED . UNFI has also developed a Reverse Logistics Disposition Reporting system and optimized processes for waste and excess food donation . The company has set company-wide waste reduction targets, aiming for zero waste to landfills from its distribution centers by 2030 and a 50% reduction in food waste from distribution centers by the end of FY2025 . Additionally, UNFI plans to donate 250 million pounds of food by 2030. Regarding suppliers, UNFI requires suppliers for its owned brands to update secondary and tertiary packaging information and is revising its Supplier & Vendor Code of Conduct to align with its sustainability strategy .