diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/document.go b/syft/presenter/json/document.go
index e43336df249b..0762e934ff96 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/json/document.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/json/document.go
@@ -1,16 +1,24 @@
 package json
 
 import (
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
 )
 
 type Document struct {
-	Artifacts []Artifact `json:"artifacts"`
-	Source    Source     `json:"source"`
+	Artifacts []Artifact   `json:"artifacts"`
+	Source    Source       `json:"source"`
+	Distro    Distribution `json:"distro"`
 }
 
-func NewDocument(catalog *pkg.Catalog, s scope.Scope) (Document, error) {
+// Distritbution provides information about a detected Linux Distribution
+type Distribution struct {
+	Name    string `json:"name"`
+	Version string `json:"version"`
+}
+
+func NewDocument(catalog *pkg.Catalog, s scope.Scope, d distro.Distro) (Document, error) {
 	doc := Document{
 		Artifacts: make([]Artifact, 0),
 	}
@@ -20,6 +28,14 @@ func NewDocument(catalog *pkg.Catalog, s scope.Scope) (Document, error) {
 		return Document{}, nil
 	}
 	doc.Source = src
+	distroName := d.Name()
+	if distroName == "UnknownDistroType" {
+		distroName = ""
+	}
+	doc.Distro = Distribution{
+		Name:    distroName,
+		Version: d.FullVersion(),
+	}
 
 	for _, p := range catalog.Sorted() {
 		art, err := NewArtifact(p, s)
diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/image.go b/syft/presenter/json/image.go
index 22e6eb3cfac0..bffa999bfcde 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/json/image.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/json/image.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package json
 
-import "github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
+import (
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
+)
 
 type Image struct {
 	Layers    []Layer  `json:"layers"`
diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/presenter.go b/syft/presenter/json/presenter.go
index 206178ed6231..7c5ee540718d 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/json/presenter.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/json/presenter.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"io"
 
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
 )
@@ -11,17 +12,19 @@ import (
 type Presenter struct {
 	catalog *pkg.Catalog
 	scope   scope.Scope
+	distro  distro.Distro
 }
 
-func NewPresenter(catalog *pkg.Catalog, s scope.Scope) *Presenter {
+func NewPresenter(catalog *pkg.Catalog, s scope.Scope, d distro.Distro) *Presenter {
 	return &Presenter{
 		catalog: catalog,
 		scope:   s,
+		distro:  d,
 	}
 }
 
 func (pres *Presenter) Present(output io.Writer) error {
-	doc, err := NewDocument(pres.catalog, pres.scope)
+	doc, err := NewDocument(pres.catalog, pres.scope, pres.distro)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/presenter_test.go b/syft/presenter/json/presenter_test.go
index f3e79815b13b..b935050a2805 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/json/presenter_test.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/json/presenter_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/go-testutils"
 	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/file"
 	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/imagetest"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
 	"github.com/sergi/go-diff/diffmatchpatch"
@@ -39,12 +40,12 @@ func TestJsonDirsPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 			{Path: "/some/path/pkg1"},
 		},
 	})
-
+	d := distro.NewUnknownDistro()
 	s, err := scope.NewScopeFromDir("/some/path")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	pres := NewPresenter(catalog, s)
+	pres := NewPresenter(catalog, s, d)
 
 	// run presenter
 	err = pres.Present(&buffer)
@@ -100,7 +101,8 @@ func TestJsonImgsPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	s, err := scope.NewScopeFromImage(img, scope.AllLayersScope)
-	pres := NewPresenter(catalog, s)
+	d := distro.NewUnknownDistro()
+	pres := NewPresenter(catalog, s, d)
 
 	// run presenter
 	err = pres.Present(&buffer)
diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonDirsPresenter.golden b/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonDirsPresenter.golden
index e73fecc869c8..a56d23169903 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonDirsPresenter.golden
+++ b/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonDirsPresenter.golden
@@ -26,5 +26,9 @@
  "source": {
   "type": "directory",
   "target": "/some/path"
+ },
+ "distro": {
+  "name": "",
+  "version": ""
  }
 }
diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonImgsPresenter.golden b/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonImgsPresenter.golden
index 62d379db26af..85957c9ba62a 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonImgsPresenter.golden
+++ b/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJsonImgsPresenter.golden
@@ -35,26 +35,30 @@
    "layers": [
     {
      "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.image.rootfs.diff.tar.gzip",
-     "digest": "sha256:e158b57d6f5a96ef5fd22f2fe76c70b5ba6ff5b2619f9d83125b2aad0492ac7b",
+     "digest": "sha256:78783bfc74fef84f899b4977561ad1172f87753f82cc2157b06bf097e56dfbce",
      "size": 22
     },
     {
      "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.image.rootfs.diff.tar.gzip",
-     "digest": "sha256:da21056e7bf4308ecea0c0836848a7fe92f38fdcf35bc09ee6d98e7ab7beeebf",
+     "digest": "sha256:54ec7f643dafbf9f27032a5e60afe06248c0e99b50aed54bb0fe28ea4825ccaf",
      "size": 16
     },
     {
      "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.image.rootfs.diff.tar.gzip",
-     "digest": "sha256:f0e18aa6032c24659a9c741fc36ca56f589782ea132061ccf6f52b952403da94",
+     "digest": "sha256:ec4775a139c45b1ddf9ea8e1cb43385e92e5c0bf6ec2e3f4192372785b18c106",
      "size": 27
     }
    ],
    "size": 65,
-   "digest": "sha256:2731251dc34951c0e50fcc643b4c5f74922dad1a5d98f302b504cf46cd5d9368",
+   "digest": "sha256:fedd7bcc0b90f071501b662d8e7c9ac7548b88daba6b3deedfdf33f22ed8d95b",
    "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json",
    "tags": [
     "stereoscope-fixture-image-simple:04e16e44161c8888a1a963720fd0443cbf7eef8101434c431de8725cd98cc9f7"
    ]
   }
+ },
+ "distro": {
+  "name": "",
+  "version": ""
  }
 }
diff --git a/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-simple.golden b/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-simple.golden
index 4e7ce36e0808..c98a9207cba8 100644
Binary files a/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-simple.golden and b/syft/presenter/json/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-simple.golden differ
diff --git a/syft/presenter/presenter.go b/syft/presenter/presenter.go
index 49bd1e25b525..65184a74e167 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/presenter.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/presenter.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ type Presenter interface {
 func GetPresenter(option Option, s scope.Scope, catalog *pkg.Catalog, d *distro.Distro) Presenter {
 	switch option {
 	case JSONPresenter:
-		return json.NewPresenter(catalog, s)
+		return json.NewPresenter(catalog, s, *d)
 	case TextPresenter:
 		return text.NewPresenter(catalog, s)
 	case TablePresenter: