United Natural Foods, Inc. Releases Annual Better for All Report for Fiscal Year 2022; Sandy Douglas Shares

2023 is off to a grand start, and United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) is kick-starting it with a bang—beginning with an annual release. The company published its annual Better for All Report, highlighting significant progress toward its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments during its 2022 fiscal year.

“In the past year, we’ve made a focused effort to holistically integrate our Better for All strategy throughout the organization, as well as proactively engage our stakeholders, from our associates to our supply chain partners, on issues from climate to food equity to DEI,” said UNFI Chief Executive Officer Sandy Douglas. “That approach has yielded some meaningful achievements this year and, in several areas, also allowed us to establish the organizational structures and processes needed to make progress against future goals. While we are proud of the progress we have made, we recognize that in many ways we are just at the beginning of our journey and that there is much more to be done. We look forward to continuing this important work in the coming years.”

Some of the key milestones UNFI accomplished include:

• Launched the Climate Action Hub, starting with the release of the Climate Action Guide for Business—a free resource for suppliers
• Doubled year-over-year spend with diverse suppliers as a result of a clarified action plan to better identify, source, and assist diverse suppliers with certification and planning needed to grow their business with UNFI
• Launched the installation of a roof-mounted solar array at UNFI’s distribution center in Howell, New Jersey, the distributor’s largest to date

This year, continued the release, UNFI also launched three new science-based targets. The new targets bring its total goals to 15 across its entire Better for All strategy.

“Approximately 97 percent of UNFI’s total emissions are a result of our upstream supply chain, which is why we are committed to empowering our suppliers to take climate action. As one of the country’s largest wholesalers, we are a connector between retail, brands, and communities and our leadership and education to others can help amplify the important role we all play in making a positive impact on our climate,” said Alisha Real, UNFI’s Vice President of ESG and Social Impact. “With the validation of our science-based targets this year, we are ready to accelerate our action and lead by example to support our communities and the planet.”

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