Surprising Reason Why Whole Foods Shelves in New Jersey May Look Empty This Week

This has become a very popular grocery store here at the Jersey Shore and New Jersey. It has built a loyal fan base.

Whole Foods focuses on organic, natural and sustainably sourced products. This store has become a go-to destination for health-conscious shoppers and food lovers.

The Whole Foods Difference: Quality, Sustainability, and Trust

There's many reasons why it's a favorite, from the fresh seafood, high-quality organic produce, grass-fed meats and more, these are the quality standards that people have grown to love.

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But, what happens when the lead supplier hits a stumble. This stumble is a pretty large stumble. Thestreet.com warns customers and staff alike there's an issue that could lead to shortages and empty shelves in a Whole Foods stores in New Jersey and surrounding areas.

UNFI Cyberattack: How a Major Distributor Disrupted Whole Foods

The main distributor of Whole Foods - UNFI United Natural Foods is having a major issue and surprising it's not a money issue.

Read More: 7 Things That Annoy New Jersey Locals, But We Still Love it Here

UNFI supplies frozen goods and more than 250,000 grocery store products, and the Amazon-owned supermarket depends on the distributor to provide a substantial number of the products that Whole Foods sells, from thestreet.com.

New Jersey has 24 Whole Foods stores.

Unfortunately, UNFI recently experienced a cybersecurity breach that disrupted its information technology systems and caused a nationwide outage. As a result of the incident, UNFI has had to scale back its operations and is currently providing services to clients on a limited basis, leaving shelves in several Whole Foods stores empty.

Whole Foods’ Official Response to Concerned Customers

Whole Foods is instructing staff to share a single approved message with customers regarding the issue. If shoppers express frustration about empty shelves, employees are directed to explain that the store is currently facing “temporary supply challenges.”

This could take a couple of weeks. Hopefully, this will be taken care of sooner than later and the shelves will be stocked once again to full capacity.