Suspected cyber-attack disrupts supermarket refrigeration in Belgium and Sweden

Dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Sweden have been affected by a suspected cyber-attack involving refrigerators and freezers, with shops in Ireland also reporting disruption. The incidents have left retailers dealing with affected cooling equipment and food losses, while the identity of whoever may be responsible remains unclear.

In Belgium, the affected shops include about 40 Delhaize supermarkets and 15 Carrefour stores. Delhaize, one of the country's largest supermarket chains, told Belgian media that an overnight incident involving its computer systems had occurred at 40 locations. The company described it as a "computer incident".

Carrefour, which is French-owned, said it was still examining what had happened at its 15 affected Belgian shops. Its statement that it was "currently analysing" the incident came as reports of refrigeration problems also emerged from retailers elsewhere. In Ireland, 13 SuperValu shops have been impacted.

Local media reports put the value of food that has had to be thrown away at thousands of euros. One ICA store in Sweden said the temperature settings for its freezers had been changed to 50 C, equivalent to 122 F. That account described a change to the settings, rather than confirming the temperature the equipment had reached.

A store in Sjöbo, in southern Sweden, said on social media that its refrigerators and freezers had been hacked overnight and their temperatures set to 50 degrees. The branch had closed earlier following the incident but subsequently reopened to customers.

An ICA spokesperson confirmed that a small number of the chain's Swedish stores had been affected. Those shops operated outside ICA's central network, the spokesperson said. ICA said it was helping the affected branches manage the situation, describing the disruption as involving only a limited number of its stores.

Coop also reported problems in Sweden, saying seven of its 800 stores were affected. The company told the BBC that the situation was contained and under control. Its account, alongside ICA's statement, confirmed that the Swedish disruption extended across more than one supermarket chain.

The suspected attack follows a similar incident in October that affected hundreds of supermarkets in France. Responsibility for the latest disruption has not been established, and the reports leave unanswered who was behind the interference with supermarket refrigeration.