A cyberattack disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets, causing fridges and freezers to heat up and spoil fresh and frozen food worth millions of euros.
Hackers took control of software used to manage cold units remotely, with some equipment reaching 50C overnight, according to retailers and AFP.
The attack affected around 500 stores out of about 15,000 supermarkets in France, based on figures from individual chains.
Retailers Report Widespread Impact
Dominique Schelcher, chief executive of Coopérative U, described the incident as an unprecedented disruption affecting essential food supply equipment and called it extremely serious.
According to AFP, more than 100 Coopérative U supermarkets were targeted, while at least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores were affected.
Carrefour said 80 of its 6,000 stores had refrigeration units hacked.
Monoprix said 5% of its more than 400 stores were affected, and products were removed from sale when their condition could not be guaranteed.
Mousquetaires Group said some fresh and frozen food display units remained out of service on Monday afternoon.
The group said it had taken all necessary precautions to remove the products from these units as soon as possible.
Intermarché said its refrigerators heated to 50C for six hours overnight into Monday and the retailer discarded affected food to avoid health risks, as reported by Reuters.
Two supermarkets in Alsace reported losses of €270,000 between them, according to BFMTV.
Investigation and Official Response
French prosecutors opened a cybercrime investigation into what the Paris prosecutor's office described as a large-scale cyber-attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France.
European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen criticized the incident in a post on X and linked food security concerns to the broader impact of attacks on food systems.
He said food security requires more attention at all levels because the weaponisation of food has become a reality.
Coopérative U staff worked with refrigeration specialists to restore affected systems after the attack, while the company called for an investigation.
Schelcher said the company was fully mobilised, in co-ordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible, and described the incident as unacceptable.
Danfoss said the affected refrigeration units were older models whose security software could not be updated to address an identified risk.
Other retailers including Carrefour, Monoprix and E. Leclerc were also affected.
