For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. United Natural Foods (UNFI) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of UNFI and the rest of the Consumer Staples group's stocks.United Natural Foods is one of 175 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. UNFI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNFI's full-year earnings has moved 101.61% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.According to our latest data, UNFI has moved about 91.21% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Staples group have gained about 0.71% on average. This means that United Natural Foods is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.Looking more specifically, UNFI belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 44 individual stocks and currently sits at #204 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 1.65% so far this year, so UNFI is performing better in this area.Investors with an interest in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to track UNFI. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.