Since Covid ran down in end of 2022, Americans have been told grocery and restaurant prices are “beyond anyone’s control,” driven by inflation, labor costs, and fuel.
But inside the world of America’s largest food distributors, a far different narrative is taking shape — one where “30%” isn’t a profit margin, it’s a built-in guarantee.
Longtime US Foods-supplied restaurant owners and a current UNFI employee tells SpokenFood that an automatic 30% markup is baked into the companies’ pricing models, applied across the board to its customers — independent grocers, restaurants, and institutional food buyers alike. It’s not about diesel. It’s not about wages. It’s not even about inflation. It’s simply a profit switch left in the “on” position, since 2022. And no one knows how to turn it off.
Oh, FTC? Attorneys General? That’s your cue.
If true, these revelations confirm what our WalletGate investigation and Mona Lisa Graph have already shown — that distributor profits have exploded since 2020 while food producers and consumers are left holding the bill.
Between 2020 and 2025, Sysco’s profits surged, UNFI’s revenues jumped, PNG revenues tripled – this information comes from our archived stories. Meanwhile, diesel prices fell nearly 30% from their 2022 peak.
The math doesn’t lie. Somebody’s banking the difference — and it’s not the farmers or the families at checkout.
The UNFI source says the 30% standard is and has been internal knowledge – hiding in plain sight. We’re working to verify further supporting data and will provide all findings to the proper authorities – which we’ll divulge soon – before publishing specific documentation.
If similar “guaranteed margin” systems exist inside any (or all) other major distributors, the scope of this practice now reaches inside every grocery aisle and restaurant table in America.
That’s not supply and demand. That’s intentional (and illegal) manipulation on a national scale that totals trillions of dollars. Yep. We were getting all ‘B’s before (billions). Now, we’ve graduated to the ‘T’s (trillions).
And if the middlemen in America’s food chain are guaranteed profit, what possible incentive remains to keep food affordable? This is not just “the new normal,” it’s the beginning of the end for some people. We are not speculating for ratings or shock value – only the truth that this is an economic certainty. Some say, “the center can no longer hold.” The reality is the bottom echelon––the poorest Americans––will begin starving. That’s not hyperbole, folks. That is the new normal for millions of Americans trying to survive.
When BigFood hardwires auto-profit into the food chain, it’s not a business model — it’s a slow bleed. The poorest Americans aren’t just being priced out of restaurants; they’re being priced out of their next meal. Chew on that.
And at this rate, it’s not hard to see where this leads. When the distributors feast, the poorest Americans go hungry — and hunger has no brand loyalty.
The floor is now open. We need your help. If you work inside one of these companies — or have data showing comparable markup practices — contact SpokenFood confidentially at [email protected].
Your identity will remain protected. Your information will not be published without verification.
Because sometimes the truth doesn’t trickle down — it’s held up, 30% at a time.
Sources/Images: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Environmental Information Administration, Sysco Annual Reports (2020-2025), UNFI Annual Reports (2020-2025), PNG Annual Reports (2020-2025), US Foods Annual Reports (2020-2025), Levine & Blit PLLC, CKB Viena LLP, SM, Amazon Books, Facebook.