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Food Distributors Must Prepare for Cyberattacks as Operational Threats, Executives Warn

Security leaders at the International Foodservice Distributors Association's 2026 Solutions Conference in San Antonio urged food distributors to view cyberattacks as supply chain disruptions rather than purely digital threats. Panelists including Brett Perry of Dot Foods, Frank Smith of The Palmer Family of Cos., James Cusack of Van Eerden Foodservice and Jeff Shaffer of Ben E. emphasized that companies should shift focus from prevention to resilience. Food distributors face unique vulnerabilities because their operations span interconnected warehouse management systems, transportation networks, ordering platforms and communications infrastructure. A breach in any segment can cascade through the supply chain, affecting customer orders, warehouse operations and freight movement. Rather than assuming all attacks can be prevented, executives said companies must detect and contain intrusions before attackers access critical operational systems.