A fresh wave of cyberattacks has struck supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe, causing widespread food spoilage and exposing serious vulnerabilities in the continent’s food supply chain.

The attacks, reported on 2 November 2026, affected retailers in Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Hackers reportedly manipulated refrigeration controls, pushing freezer temperatures as high as 55°C and forcing supermarkets to discard substantial quantities of food.

Major retailers affected included ICA, Coop, Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize, SuperValu and Selver, alongside an IKEA outlet in Belgium.

The incident follows similar attacks on hundreds of French supermarkets in October, intensifying concerns about cybersecurity weaknesses in critical food infrastructure.
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen condemned the attacks as deliberate attempts to disrupt food supply chains and undermine consumer confidence, while reassuring the public that Europe’s overall food security remained intact.
Stephan Moelans, Chief Executive of Belgian refrigeration company Sabcobel, explained that attackers had manipulated freezer defrosting functions, triggering dangerous temperature increases.

Danish industrial technology company Danfoss, whose refrigeration control systems were affected, has urged customers to strengthen network protection, update firmware and prevent equipment from being directly exposed to the internet.

Cybersecurity specialists warn that increasingly interconnected industrial systems create opportunities for coordinated attacks, potentially amplified by artificial intelligence.
The incidents underline an emerging business reality: cybersecurity is no longer confined to financial information and corporate networks. It has become fundamental to operational resilience, food safety and economic security.