US natural food distributor United Natural Foods has announced the appointment of Rick Antonelli to the position of president of the Eastern Region and the promotion of Dan Atwood to the newly created position of senior vice president.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Antonelli served as director of sales for United Natural Foods, and a predecessor company, from 1982 through July 2001 and most recently was president of privately held Fairfield Farm Kitchens. He assumes the role of president of the Eastern Region of United Natural Foods from Steven Townsend, who will continue to serve as president of United Natural Foods. Antonelli will have direct responsibility for leading the growth, profitability and customer support of the company’s Eastern Region.


Atwood was previously national vice president of marketing for United Natural Foods where he had direct responsibility for developing and implementing programmes designed to provide opportunities for suppliers to increase sales and improve margins. Atwood, as senior vice president, will continue to focus on these customer and supplier initiatives. He has been with the company since 1982.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact