Retailers in four European countries reported overnight supermarket refrigeration incidents on Nov. 2, affecting fresh and frozen food availability, while France 24 separately reported irregular temperatures in Finland.
Fifteen of Carrefour Belgium's 700 stores experienced the issue, the company said. Spokesman Mich Vergauwen called it a cyberattack, telling France 24, “It's a cyberattack, there is no other reason.” He described the impact as limited and said not all refrigeration units in the affected stores were involved. France 24 also reported that Colruyt Group had refrigeration problems at five Spar shops.
The Guardian and The Associated Press (AP) reported that Delhaize described an IT incident affecting dozens of stores, mainly in Belgium with a few in Luxembourg. Spokeswoman Sarah De Meester said affected stores temporarily offered fewer fresh and frozen goods, while distribution centers and deliveries continued normally.
In Sweden, Coop told Aftonbladet that six stores were affected. The Guardian reported that ICA had an overnight incident involving refrigeration and freezer systems at a limited number of stores, without giving a count. In Estonia, Selver said one store was affected and reported no product damage. Refrigeration supplier Kitman Coldtech told the state broadcaster ERR that a setting on an older Danfoss control system had been raised to 50 degrees Celsius. ERR said the freezer's actual temperature rose by about 2 to 3 degrees Celsius before the issue was addressed.
France 24 reported irregular temperatures at a few smaller Kesko stores in Finland. Kesko's head of corporate security said the cause remained under investigation and that network interference had not been ruled out.
AP reported that some stores had to dispose of spoiled food, but no combined loss estimate was reported. France 24 quoted European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen as saying food security was “not currently at risk,” while noting that food waste and business impacts were real.
The Guardian reported that supermarket refrigeration controls can connect to the internet for remote maintenance and alerts. The latest incidents followed an October case in France, where police said hackers had taken control of cooling units at as many as 700 supermarkets; France 24 reported food losses and fires. Reports have not identified who was responsible for Monday's incidents or linked them to the October case.
