UNFI MCB deduction: what it means and how to check it
MCB stands for Manufacturer ChargeBack. UNFI gives a retailer a promotional discount on your product (a shelf sale, an EDLP, a flyer or a new store opening) and then deducts that discount from what it pays you. The MCB lines arrive weekly, each file covering a week that ends on a Saturday. East and West regions bill separately.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Category | Promotion / trade spend (with a few non-promo lines mixed in) |
| Usually disputable? | Depends on your deal sheet. Lines that fail one of the 3 checks below are strong disputes |
| Deadline | Natural adjustments older than 12 months are denied. UNFI suggests filing within 60 days |
| Where to file | UNFI Dispute Center in myUNFI (one appeal allowed, only with new information) |
| Documents | Signed deal / promo authorization, the weekly MCB backup CSV, the remittance advice |
Get the backup first
The remittance only shows one MCB total. The detail sits in a weekly backup file. If you don't receive it, ask UNFI's deduction dispute team to add you to the weekly MCB distribution. The ZIP usually contains a CSV and a TXT with the same lines. Load only one of them, or every line will be counted twice.
The category letter
Each backup line carries an MCB Category. Common values: S shelf sales, E EDLP, T turnover orders, O opening store, A customer-specific ad, F flyer/circular, P promos/publications. Meanings differ slightly between UNFI East and West. Two "categories" are not promotions at all:
- ShortShipped is a shortage claim. Check it against your BOL and signed POD, not your deal sheet.
- Vendor Compliance is a fine. Ask for the compliance report behind it.
The three checks that decide a dispute
- Was it authorized? Match the line's Auth # to a deal you signed. A blank or unknown Auth # is the cleanest dispute in the file.
- Was it inside the dates? Compare Period End with the deal's start and end. EDLPs that keep billing after they end are a classic.
- Does the math hold? ChgBckAmt should equal InvAmt × ChgBckPct, and the percentage should match your deal.
Also look for the same line billed twice (identical store, product, period and amount).
Anything that passes all checks is trade spend you agreed to, and disputing it wastes goodwill.
Do it in a minute
Drop the MCB backup CSV and your deal sheet into Deduction Decoder. It runs the three checks on every line inside your browser, with nothing uploaded, shows the disputable total for free, and (paid) writes a dispute note per failing line with the deadline in your calendar.
Sources: Revya "What is a UNFI MCB" (checks, backup columns); Crisp docs "UNFI chargeback codes" (East/West letters); SPS Commerce "How to submit and appeal a deduction dispute in UNFI's Dispute Center" (12-month limit, one appeal). Not legal advice. Your supplier agreement prevails. Not affiliated with UNFI.