Del Monte Foods data breach investigation (2026 network incident)

Del Monte Foods Corporation II Inc., the California packaged food company behind brands such as Del Monte canned vegetables and College Inn broth until it sold its businesses this year, has begun notifying people that files containing their personal information were taken from its network. Law firms are now investigating whether to bring a class action.

According to the company's notice letter filed with the California Attorney General on October 29, 2026, Del Monte learned of a network problem on February 9, 2026, determined that files were "acquired without authorization," and confirmed on or about August 20, 2026, that the files held personal information. The Vermont Attorney General's breach list says the data involved includes Social Security numbers, government ID numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card information and health records.

No lawsuit has been confirmed as of October 31, 2026. There is no settlement or claim form. Del Monte is offering free identity protection through Kroll.

Del Monte Foods Corporation II Inc. is based in Walnut Creek, California, and describes itself as a producer, distributor and marketer of packaged foods. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey on July 1, 2025. On March 19, 2026, it announced that it had completed the sale of substantially all of its businesses:

• Its vegetable, tomato and refrigerated fruit businesses, including the Del Monte, S&W, Contadina and Take Root Organics brands and global ownership of the Del Monte brand, went to Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.
• Its broth and stock business, including College Inn and Kitchen Basics, went to B&G Foods, Inc.
• Its shelf-stable fruit business went to Pacific Coast Producers.

That means the February 2026 incident happened while the company was still in bankruptcy and before those sales closed. Fresh Del Monte Produce, a separate company, is not named in the breach notice.

The law firms that have announced investigations include Dapeer Law, Emery Reddy and Almeida Law Group. Their pages are lawyer advertising. No plaintiff has been publicly identified.

• February 7, 2026: date of breach listed on the California Attorney General's site.
• February 9, 2026: Del Monte "learned that it had experienced an issue impacting network operability" and began investigating with outside cybersecurity experts.
• On or about August 20, 2026: after reviewing the files that were taken, Del Monte learned they contained personal information.
• October 20, 2026: Del Monte finished confirming mailing addresses needed to send notices.
• October 29, 2026: Del Monte reported the breach to the California and Vermont Attorneys General.

The notice does not say how the intruders got in, who was responsible or how many people were affected. Its only count is a note that 11 Rhode Island residents were notified. Vermont's list shows four Vermont residents. California requires companies to report breaches that affect more than 500 of its residents, which suggests at least that many Californians are involved, but Del Monte has not given a total.

Some law firm pages mention a ransomware group's claims about the attack and a larger record count. Those claims come from attackers or third parties and have not been confirmed by Del Monte, so we do not repeat them as fact.

Del Monte says it "takes the privacy and security of all information very seriously." Its letter says it put in place "measures to enhance security and minimize the risk of a similar incident," will cooperate with any law enforcement investigation, and apologizes "for any worry or inconvenience this may cause."

The law firms say they are examining whether Del Monte protected personal data adequately and whether it took too long to notify people. More than eight months passed between Del Monte learning of the problem in February and its October notices. These are questions under investigation, not findings.

No court is involved yet. No lawsuit about this incident has been confirmed, so no judge has ruled on whether Del Monte was responsible. If a suit is filed, any company liability could also be affected by Del Monte's bankruptcy case, which is a question no court has addressed for this breach.

Because there is no lawsuit, there is no class definition yet. The people most likely to be affected are:

• Letter recipients: people who got a Del Monte "Notice of Data Breach" letter in late October 2026 or after.
• Data involved: people whose letter lists their Social Security number, ID number, financial or card information or health records.
• Likely connections: the notice does not say whose data was stored. People with past dealings with the company, such as employees, may want to check their mail.

• Enroll in Kroll monitoring. Use the enrollment code in your letter at enroll.krollmonitoring.com or call (844) 971-8616, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time. Check your letter for the enrollment deadline.
• Freeze your credit. If your Social Security number was involved, a free security freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion blocks new accounts in your name.
• Check your records. Review bank, card and insurance statements, and get free credit reports at annualcreditreport.com.
• Save your letter. Keep the letter and records of any fraud, costs or time spent responding.

Right now the only benefit is Del Monte's free Kroll package, which its letter says includes credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, a $1 million identity fraud loss reimbursement policy and identity theft recovery services. The length of monitoring is left blank in the public sample letter. There is no cash payment. Money would only become available if a lawsuit is filed and ends in a court-approved settlement or judgment.

• Kroll enrollment deadline: printed in your letter. The public sample leaves it blank.
• No claim deadline: there is no settlement.
• Credit monitoring eligibility: you must be over 18, have established U.S. credit, a Social Security number in your name and a U.S. residential address on your credit file.

• Data breach investigation: a law firm's review of whether a breach supports a lawsuit. It is not a lawsuit.
• Security freeze: a free block on your credit file that stops most new credit from being opened in your name.
• Chapter 11: a bankruptcy process that lets a company reorganize or sell its businesses under court supervision.

Law firms may file a proposed class action in the coming weeks, which is common after breach notices like this one. Del Monte could also file additional state notices with a total count. We will update this page if a case is filed.

This article relies on Del Monte's notice filed with the California Attorney General, the Vermont Attorney General's breach list, Del Monte's March 2026 sale announcement and law firm investigation pages. The public notice is a template, so the data types come from Vermont's listing, not the letter. We did not find a filed lawsuit, the total number affected or details of how the breach happened.

Class Action Pulse is not a law firm or settlement administrator and does not guarantee eligibility or payment. This article is general information, not legal advice.