How To Become a Supplier for UNFI

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) is a wholesale distributor of natural, organic, and specialty food products and health and wellness items to 30,000+ conventional supermarket chains, natural product stores, independent retailers, ecommerce providers, and food service customers.  

If you’re a supplier or vendor hoping to tap into UNFI’s vast network, this article is for you. In this article, you will learn: 

• The types of products UNFI accepts 

• The information you will need to fill out a New Supplier Inquiry form 

• UNFI supplier onboarding requirements 

• UNFI Supplier and Vendor Code of Conduct requirements 

• How SPS Commerce can help suppliers remove manual processes to increase efficiency and reduce errors 

What Types of Products Does UNFI Accept? 

UNFI boasts more than 250,000 SKUs across organic, natural, conventional, and specialty products within the following categories: 

• Fresh (produce, floral, bakery, deli, specialty cheese, meat, and seafood) 

• Grocery, frozen, dairy 

• General Merchandise, Health and Beauty Care (includes candy, baby, and pet) 

• Wellness (natural wellness items, including personal care, supplements, sports nutrition, and general merchandise) 

Diversity 

Inclusive procurement matters to UNFI. To this end, the distributor encourages its suppers to make a reasonable effort to utilize small businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans (and service-disabled veterans), and members of the LGBTQ+ community when possible. 

UNFI International 

UNFI may be based in North America, but UNFI International (the global trade division of UNFI Inc.) serves manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers around the world, managing a portfolio of U.S. brands for international markets.  

Step 1: New Supplier Inquiry Form 

All new UNFI suppliers and vendors start here: the New Supplier Inquiry form.  

Be prepared to answer questions about the basics, including: 

• Company name 

• Brand name 

• Your name 

• Your email address 

• Address 

• Company website URL  

The form will also ask you to share: 

• The number of years your company has been in business 

• Your annual sales amount 

• Whether your company is based in the U.S. 

• Whether your company has a U.S. warehouse 

• Whether your company can dropship 

• Your preferred fulfillment method (i.e., UNFI distribution, UNFI dropship marketplace, or both?) 

• Whether all of your products contain alcohol, tobacco, or CBD/THC ingestible 

• Whether your company currently works with other distributors 

• How many SKUs your company wants to bring into distribution 

• The category/categories your product fits into (i.e., natural, fresh, conventional, wellness, service provider) 

• A description of your product 

• Where your product is currently sold and how it’s marketed 

• Whether your company’s UPCs are GS1 certified 

Note: Filling out this form isn’t a guarantee your company will make it to the next step — even if you meet all requirements. UNFI is clear that because it receives so many submissions, those that do qualify are added to a queue for future contact. 

Step 2: Onboarding Documents 

If your company’s submission is selected by UNFI, you will need to fill out and submit several documents as part of the onboarding process. The exact documentation depends on the type of product and the distribution centers used, but suppliers are typically asked to: 

1. Sign a supplier agreement.  
2. Provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI) for the amounts set out in Section 14 of the Supplier Policies & Guidelines (found in the UNFI supplier portal), as well as a copy of the additional insured endorsement, provided by a carrier (or carriers) with an AM Best rating of at least A-, Financial Size category VII. 
3. Submit a completed New Supplier New Item Form that provides information on both your company and your products. 
4. Submit a completed freight form. 
5. Submit a completed New Store Opening and Reset Program Form, which requires a physical signature. 
6. Submit a completed and signed W9 (or W8 if you’re an international supplier). 
7. Provide all applicable organic, fair trade, kosher, and non-GMO certificates. These will need to be provided on an annual basis for your products to be marketed and/or labeled as such.  
8. Submit a completed Distributor Price List and Specification Sheet. 
9. Provide a copy of your latest third-party food safety audit certificate. All suppliers are required to adopt and operate in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and ensure that copackers' manufacturing products follow suit. UNFI products must meet guidelines for quality and condition defects set by either the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).  
10. Provide digital copies of all product labels, including the front, back, UPC, and recycling redemption states and values (if applicable). 

Step 3: UNFI Supplier and Vendor Code of Conduct 

All suppliers and vendors that provide goods or services to UNFI (including those for UNFI’s internal use) are required to acknowledge and comply with the UNFI Supplier and Vendor Code of Conduct. UNFI considers a supplier to have accepted the Code’s standards once it does one of the following: 

• Signs a supplier agreement 

• Accepts a purchase order 

• Provides merchandise to UNFI  

Code Compliance 

Suppliers are expected to self-monitor their adherence to the Code but may be requested by UNFI to demonstrate compliance. UNFI adds that it may also require a supplier to provide third-party audits or certifications relating to certain compliance areas, such as child labor, forced labor, and food safety.  

UNFI may end its relationship with a supplier without liability if the supplier: 

• Is severely noncompliant 

• Fails to provide any third-party audits and/or certifications requested by UNFI 

• Fails to cooperate with an investigation 

• Fails to correct the noncompliance within an agreed-upon timeframe 

Suppliers must self-report any Code violations to UNFI as soon as possible. Investigation is the next step, followed by corrective action, if necessary. 

UNFI states that suppliers must implement processes for accepting, reviewing, and addressing workplace complaints regarding actual or suspected Code violations. These processes must protect whistleblowers from retaliation. 

Code Overview 

The Code of Conduct outlines UNFI’s standards of ethical behavior and excellence and applies to activities that take where products are produced, where any related services occur, and where the products enter UNFI’s direct supply chain.  

The Code is divided into four sections, which are outlined in the table below: 

Related Reading: UNFI Supplier Compliance Guide: How to Avoid Chargebacks and Improve Supplier Performance

Simplify Order Processing With SPS Commerce 

If your business is growing, we can help. In 2021, we partnered with a UNFI beverage supplier struggling with manual, error-prone order processing. By integrating SPS Fulfillment with their NetSuite ERP system, the supplier was able to cut order processing time across multiple distributors by 75%. 

“SPS Fulfillment saves time and virtually eliminates errors. No more uploads, downloads, attachments, or emails. We can process orders and generate invoices with the touch of a button. We love the efficiencies!”  Distribution Director, mission-driven beverage supplier 

But Wait, There’s More!  

If you’re a natural UNFI supplier struggling with deduction visibility and disputing, check out SPS Revenue Recovery for UNFI to learn more.