Baldor Specialty Foods Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Data Breach Impacting Over 13,000 Customers

• A data breach at Baldor Specialty Foods exposed personal data of over 13,800 individuals.
• The company is facing a lawsuit for failing to adequately protect customer data.

Baldor Specialty Foods, a prominent food service company, is facing a class-action lawsuit following a significant data breach that compromised the personal identifiable information (PII) of over 13,800 individuals. The lawsuit, filed by Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses the company of failing to implement adequate data security measures​.

Founded in 1991, Baldor Specialty Foods imports, prepares, and distributes fresh produce and gourmet foods, serving a variety of industries such as restaurants, schools, hotels, and stadiums. The company, which generates approximately $740 million in annual revenue and employs over 1,000 people, operates in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C​.

On February 25, 2023, Baldor Specialty Foods discovered a data breach in its systems, where unauthorized access and acquisition of sensitive PII and protected health information may have occurred. The company’s investigation found that an unauthorized actor accessed and obtained this sensitive information between February 7 and February 25, 2023​.

Following the discovery, Baldor Specialty Foods initiated an extensive review of the affected files to identify the compromised information and the customers impacted. The exposed data varied depending on the individual but may include names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and insurance and related benefits information​.

Upon confirmation of the data leak, Baldor filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine on April 7, 2023. The company then started sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information may have been impacted by the recent data security incident​.

The breach has led to significant concerns about the company’s data security measures, sparking the class action lawsuit. The litigation seeks to hold Baldor accountable for the breach and the potential harm it has caused to the customers affected by the incident​.

The implications of the data breach are far-reaching, with the potential to impact the trust of both customers and partners of Baldor Specialty Foods. The incident underscores the importance of robust data security practices for businesses, particularly in an era where cyber threats are increasingly common and sophisticated.

As of now, the company is working with a leading cybersecurity firm to strengthen its security infrastructure and mitigate any further risks​. However, the full impact of the breach, both legally and reputationally, remains to be seen as the lawsuit progresses.