Cyberattack on grocery wholesaler empties shelves at some Twin Cities stores

Signs warning of a “supply chain disruption” dotted the unusually sparse center aisles of Seward Community Co-op’s Franklin Avenue store Wednesday.

“These products are not currently available from the manufacturer,” the signs read. “We will have them back on the shelf as soon as we can and appreciate your patience. Let us know if we can help you select another option to meet your current needs.”

Seward is one of many grocers in the Twin Cities and across the country dealing with stock problems after the cyberattack on wholesale distributor UNFI that has disrupted food deliveries since late last week.

The south Minneapolis co-operative appears better positioned than some competitors. Stillwater-based Cub, which UNFI owns since it acquired SuperValu in 2018, has seen particularly severe effects, including some pharmacies being unable to fill prescriptions. Other local stores that rely on UNFI — like Whole Foods, Kowalski’s and Lunds & Byerlys — are also experiencing problems.

Minnesota Grocers Association President Patrick Garofalo did not have any further information on the situation. In a letter to suppliers, UNFI, which serves 30,000 stores nationally, said it expects to have its systems back online by Sunday.

“As of today, we’re gradually bringing our ordering and receiving capabilities back online, with the goal of further increasing our capacity over the coming days,” the Rhode Island-based company said in a statement Wednesday. “The investigation is ongoing with the support of leading forensics experts.”

At Minneapolis Cub locations, customers encountered empty shelves in nearly every aisle. Cub pharmacies also posted notices that phone lines were down and computers were “running very slowly.” But Cub announced that all the pharmacies were back online Wednesday afternoon after half had gone dark in recent days because of the hack.

Mona Merritt, a customer service manager at the Minneapolis Quarry Cub location, said she noticed the cyberattack’s effects as early as this past weekend. She said many products, especially packaged goods shelved in the center aisles, hadn’t arrived.

“I ordered candy on Wednesday, and normally it comes in on Saturday, but it never came,” Merritt said. “Then I tried to re-order Saturday, but the [barcode-scanning] gun was giving me trouble.”

The store is still receiving produce deliveries, she said.

Heather Eddy, purchasing director at Seward, said the co-op’s relationships with more than 300 vendors and suppliers have helped cushion the blow. The store has been able to restock some affected items, such as Baba’s Hummus, by reaching out directly to producers.

“Our goal is to have great options that serve our community and [to] work with lots of local providers, which gives us a little bit of insulation when there are disruptions,” Eddy said.

A national association has also helped Seward. A small shipment arrived Wednesday, and a larger one is coming Friday.

“Overall, we’re not out, but you can see gaps,” Eddy said. “So if you want candy, we have candy. We just might not have your specific favorite candy.”

Shoppers have noticed. Deirdre Opp, 44, of Shoreview, stopped by Seward on her lunch break and said the scene reminded her of pandemic-era shortages.

Jake Severson, a regular Seward customer, said the supply troubles were especially noticeable in snack items for his 3-year-old daughter.

And at Cub Foods in north Minneapolis, the limited options in the meat section frustrated shopper Cherod Jones.

“I was just thinking to myself, like ... is this all?” he said, staring at the refrigerated aisle.