CHICAGO, July 24, 2025 —Foodservice distribution’s use of advanced technology is proving both a blessing and a curse, as recent news from the sector attests. Here’s a sampling of developments where the digital revolution posed either a vulnerability or a new opportunity.
Last month’s cyberattack took a heavy financial toll on UNFI
A cyberattack in early June will cost distributor United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) up to $400 million in lost sales and $60 million in forgone profits, the company alerted Wall Street last week.
The figures revealed during the business update did not reflect possible insurance repayments, executives noted. They called the anticipated reimbursements “adequate” and said they do not expect any further financial damage from the hacking incident.
Factoring in the impact from the security incident, the distributor expects to lose $90 million to $110 million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 2.
DoorDash now delivering from Gordon Food Service Stores
In another example of food-away-from-home distributors morphing into more retail-like operations, Gordon Food Service Stores has struck a deal to have its foodservice products delivered on short notice by DoorDash.
Consumers can also use the option to have grocery and some bulk items delivered to their doors from the 180 Gordon Food Service Stores currently in operation. The retail outlets are located in Florida, Texas, and the Midwest.
A number of large foodservice distributors are experimenting with ways to get fill-in products to FAFH outlets on short notice. Sysco announced this spring that it would test two cash-and-carry stores for the trade near its Houston headquarters. US Foods, which is reportedly considering the acquisition of arch-rival Performance Food Group (PFG), is expanding its Pronto operation, which delivers small orders on a same-day service. PFG has jumped into e-commerce, using the technology from a recent acquisition to provide customers with small orders delivered within two days by carriers like Fedex, UPS and Amazon.
Pepper promises ‘endless’ addition to distributors’ product line
Tech supplier and AI specialist Pepper is launching a new service aimed at giving independent distributors the breadth of products offered by big broadliners.
Called Endless Aisle, the program enables the smaller operations to offer products that are not in their inventories. The haulers can sport items in their product catalogs that can be drop-shipped to the foodservice client. An order for something not in the distributors’ warehouse is relayed directly to the supplier, which also handles the delivery. The distributor can offer the sale without ever taking possession of the purchased supply.
The service will be rolled out this summer, according to Pepper.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.