Retailers in Belgium, Ireland and Sweden reported cooling-system disruptions Nov. 2, with some stores removing chilled and frozen goods as a European commissioner warned of food-supply risks.
Carrefour reported refrigeration problems at 15 Belgian stores, within a network of more than 700 locations. Musgrave Group said systems at 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland were affected. ICA Kvantum in Sjöbo said its cooling controls had been changed to 50 C (122 F). Some shops took chilled and frozen goods off sale or discarded them.
Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, said the incidents were intended to hinder food distribution and erode consumer confidence. The Guardian reported that no perpetrator had been identified in the latest apparent case and that temperature controls were changed remotely.
Separately, the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assessed that AI-powered malware is highly likely to be used in a ransomware attack on UK critical national infrastructure between now and 2028.
An earlier EconoTimes report on an AI-assisted refrigeration-control test said it reproduced known flaws in about 28 minutes. That report said there was no evidence linking the experiment to the supermarket incidents.
