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Supermarket cooling failures across Europe reportedly linked to suspected cyberattacks

Dozens of stores in six European countries report temperature spikes that spoiled food, with cyberattacks suspected.

Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 13:14 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • Grocery chains in at least three European countries reported Monday that fridge and freezer temperature spikes ruined food.[CBS News]
  • Dozens of supermarkets in six European countries were affected, including Colruyt and Ahold Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg.[BBC News · CBS News]
  • Sabcobel's CEO says a cyberattack switched refrigeration evaporators to defrost mode, but ICA and Coop told AFP they lacked immediate information of one.[CBS News]
  • Belgian and Swedish cyber-security agencies are monitoring the incident, and the cause remains unconfirmed.[BBC News · CBS News]

Key facts

  • Grocery chains in at least three European countries reported unexpected temperature spikes on Monday in refrigerators and freezers that ruined food.[CBS News]
  • Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt said an IT incident overnight sent temperatures soaring in dozens of their stores in Belgium and Luxembourg.[CBS News]
  • The CEO of Sabcobel, a Belgian refrigeration company, said a cyberattack was to blame after evaporators were switched into defrost mode.[CBS News]
  • Dozens of supermarkets across six European countries have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack affecting refrigerators and freezers.[BBC News]
  • Belgium's and Sweden's national cyber-security agencies said they were monitoring the incident.[BBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The cyberattack cause is unconfirmed; it rests on Sabcobel's CEO, while ICA and Coop told AFP they had no immediate information of an attack on their systems.[CBS News]
  • Reporting on Swedish chains is disputed: Reuters reported that one outlet explicitly blamed a cyberattack, while ICA and Coop said they had no immediate information of one.[CBS News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.