Cinderhaven disputes $157K a year and wins 43 cents on the dollar. The food-industry median is 70. The gap is not the evidence. It is the routine.
The flat unsaleables allowance bills every invoice whether damage happened or not. Cinderhaven pays 2%; verified damage runs 0.8%. The $54K gap, built.
Retailers already send store-level sales and on-hand counts in the weekly EDI 852. Cinderhaven's unread files hide $96,000 a year in dark stores.
Cinderhaven's ledger holds $245K a year in contestable trade deductions. The review calendar, not the evidence, decides how much the brand may argue.
A plain-English guide to UNFI deduction codes: MCB, INV, shortages, spoilage, and compliance fees. What each one means, which are disputable, and how to file a dispute that wins.
Warehouse distribution through UNFI or KeHE costs 40-52% of wholesale after fees. DSD runs 25-35%. Here's when each model pays for itself.
Before the first Sprouts order, brands need UNFI item setup, IX-ONE image registration, and EDI 810 compliance. Here's the operational sequence.
Whole Foods supplier data requirements split between WFM buyer approval and UNFI item setup. EDI and item data pace the launch timeline.
UNFI rejects at the document layer. KeHE rejects on barcodes and date formats. The pre-submission checklist is different for each, here's what to check.