United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) distributes natural, organic, and specialty food products and health and wellness items to more than 30,000 conventional supermarket chains, natural product stores, independent retailers, ecommerce providers, and food service customers. With so many moving parts, UNFI relies on accurate, timely, consistent communication throughout the entire order lifecycle in the form of electronic data interchange (EDI).
EDI gives trading partners a shared “language” for communicating essential information throughout the order lifecycle and uses the same basic nomenclature: “EDI” followed by a three-digit number between 100 and 999. The number is specific to the type of information being communicated. For example, an EDI 810 is the electronic version of an invoice.
Distributors like UNFI set EDI requirements for their suppliers, carefully selecting which EDI documents will become the standard for communication. UNFI recently announced that it is expanding its EDI use, meaning EDI use must also expand for all supplier divisions: Fresh, Conventional, Natural, Tony’s, and Albert’s.
According to UNFI, this standardization of information exchange between distributor and supplier "helps improve visibility across the supply chain, reduce manual work, improve invoice accuracy, support receiving operations, and create a more consistent experience for suppliers working with UNFI.”
In this article, you will learn:
The nine documents that are part of UNFI’s EDI expansion
The required EDI documents sorted by supplier division and shipping method
EDI Documents at UNFI
The following document list is a non-exhaustive set of UNFI’s EDI document scope:
Purchase Order (EDI 850/875)
The order lifecycle begins with the purchase order (PO), which is sent from UNFI to the supplier. At its simplest, the PO is used by UNFI to outline which products and their quantities it wants from the supplier. Other important information found within POs include:
The unique PO number UNFI and its suppliers use to track the PO’s status.
Product details like item descriptions and pricing.
Shipping information, such as when UNFI wants products delivered and where it wants them delivered.
What’s the Difference Between the EDI 850 and the EDI 875?
The EDI 850 is often referred to as the standard purchase order and is used by all types of retailers and distributors. The EDI 875 is a grocery products purchase order. It contains the same information you’d find in an EDI 850, but it’s designed specifically for ordering grocery items.
Related Reading: Finding The Right Purchase Order: EDI 850 Vs. EDI 875
Purchase Order Acknowledgement (EDI 855)
You can think of a purchase order acknowledgement as the supplier's response to UNFI’s PO. The EDI 855 communicates whether the supplier can send the shipment as ordered or if adjustments are necessary. The EDI 855 could also reject a PO altogether.
Purchase Order Change Request (EDI 860/876)
The purchase order change request is sent from UNFI to suppliers to communicate changes to a previous PO. For example, UNFI might need to adjust product quantity or shipping details or even cancel their order or specific line items. The PO change request could also include details UNFI forgot to include in the original PO, such as packing specifications.
What’s the Difference Between the EDI 860 and the EDI 876?
Like the EDI 850, the EDI 860 is utilized by all types of retailers and distributors. And similar to the EDI 875, the EDI 876 is specific to grocery.
Related Reading: EDI Transactions and Usage
Pallet Label (GS1-128)
The GS1-128, which can also be referred to as the UCC-128 format or EDI 128, is a standardized barcode label that encodes a long list of information that can be accessed when scanned by a computer. Key GS1-128 details include the:
Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC)
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)
Trade item quantity
Batch or lot number
Production date
Due date
Packaging date
Best before date
Expiration date
Product variant
Serial number
Quantity of each
Number of units contained
As these details outline, the GS1-128 barcode can follow a product from production, to storefront, to shelf removal and everything in between.
Related Reading: Labeling for New Suppliers: GS1-128, SSCC, and Where Labels Have To Go
Advance Ship Notice (EDI 856)
The advance ship notice (ASN) is similar to a packing list created by the supplier that tells UNFI what is inside each box, how many there are, and how they’re packed together. It also includes when the products were shipped and the estimated delivery date.
Related Reading: EDI 856: Advance Ship Notice/Manifest
Invoice (EDI 810/880)
An invoice is used by suppliers to request payment for the products they delivered to UNFI. Invoices typically include the following details:
Invoice number and date
Delivery and payment terms
Item identifiers
Quantities and prices of items sold
Taxes and totals
Shipping details
What’s the Difference Between the EDI 810 and the EDI 880?
The EDI 810 is utilized by all types of retailers and distributors, both food and non-food. The EDI 880 is a grocery products invoice and is meant to be used in the grocery industry only.
Product Activity Data (EDI 852)
The product activity data document is used by UNFI to share sales and inventory details. SPS likens it to a report card of how products are performing in the market. This data exchange helps suppliers gain visibility into sales performance at the store level or by product, optimize inventory planning and management, and reduce the risk of both stockouts and overstock.
Application Advice (EDI 824)
The application advice document is used to formally respond to multiple different types of EDI documents, including invoices and POs. Its main purpose is to communicate the status of the transaction (i.e., accepted, rejected due to errors, needs further action).
To help flesh this out how an EDI 824 could be used, consider the following scenario:
A supplier sends UNFI an invoice (EDI 810).
UNFI notices that one of the quantities listed doesn’t match their records.
UNFI sends the supplier an EDI 824 rejecting the invoice, with an error code identifying the quantity that doesn’t match.
The supplier corrects the quantity and submits a new EDI 810.
This direct, standardized method for ensuring correct communication avoids manual back-and-forth confusion.
Text Message (EDI 864)
Most EDI documents are highly structured. The primary purpose of the text message document is to transmit any type of unstructured communication that doesn’t fit neatly into other formats. This includes:
Notifications, alerts, and updates (e.g., change in policies)
Detailed instructions or explanations
Administrative messages (e.g., compliance warnings, error messages)
Required EDI Documents by Supplier Division and Shipping Method
The full scope of EDI documents isn’t for all suppliers at all times. The following table breaks down what UNFI requires by supplier division and product shipping method.
Grow With SPS Commerce
Getting EDI right is vital to both getting set up and growing with UNFI. Partnering with SPS keeps orders moving by enabling seamless EDI communication with UNFI and beyond.
SPS Fulfillment:
Gives your team one place to manage orders, documents, and updates.
Gets retailer and distributor requirements right, reducing uncertainty and protecting your bottom line.
Automatically rebuilds workflows as your business grows, scaling your business without scaling complexity.
Here’s what the distribution director for a beverage supplier had to say about partnering with SPS for EDI:
“Previously, we entered all orders by hand, which took time away from activities that drive growth. We selected SPS Commerce because of their reputation as the leading EDI provider and their existing relationships with our distribution partners, including KeHE, UNFI, and Dot Foods. Choosing the industry leader gave us confidence we could automate and scale quickly.”
Discover how SPS Commerce can set you up for EDI success.