Debt - Accounts Receivable Financing Program - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 02, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 3,781,713,000	$ 4,733,136,000
Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of unused commitment fee	0.35%
2012 ABS Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	$ 800,000,000
Total debt	645,000,000	$ 586,000,000
Available capacity	$ 21,000,000
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings	1.69%	1.41%
2012 ABS Facility [Member] \| Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate description	the lender’s commercial paper rate, plus any other costs associated with the issuance of commercial paper plus 1.00%
Interest rate above base rate	1.00%
Excluding Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate description	LIBOR plus 1.00%,
Percentage of unused commitment fee	0.35%
Excluding Commercial Paper [Member] \| LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate	1.00%

Percentage points added to the reference rate to compute the variable rate on the debt instrument.

No definition available.

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- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Weighted average interest rate of debt outstanding.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The fee, expressed as a percentage of the line of credit facility, for the line of credit facility regardless of whether the facility has been used.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
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Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Description of the interest rate for the amounts borrowed under the credit facility, including the terms and the method for determining the interest rate (for example, fixed or variable, LIBOR plus a percentage, increasing rate, timing of interest rate resets, remarketing provisions).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.19(b),22(b))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount, after unamortized (discount) premium and debt issuance costs, of long-term debt. Includes, but not limited to, notes payable, bonds payable, debentures, mortgage loans and commercial paper. Excludes capital lease obligations.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(a)(16))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03(16))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(22))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Debt instrument, interest rate at prime plus, percentage.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	usfd_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Letters of credit available amount.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	usfd_LettersOfCreditAvailableAmount
Namespace Prefix:	usfd_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

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- Details

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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=usfd_ExcludingCommercialPaperMember
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- Details

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