Grocery chains in at least three European countries report fridge and freezer temperature spikes

Grocery chains in at least three European countries reported unexpected temperature spikes in refrigerators and freezers on Monday, ruining food in what appears to be the second such wave in less than a month. Ahold Delhaize and Belgium's Colruyt said an overnight IT incident sent temperatures soaring in dozens of their stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Swedish chains ICA and Coop reported similar spikes, and one of them explicitly blamed a cyberattack, according to Reuters. Delhaize spokesperson Sarah De Meester told Reuters the chain noticed the temperature increases on Monday. Reuters also said Ahold had reported a cybersecurity incident to Dutch police in October after detecting suspicious activity in its infrastructure. The incidents came less than three weeks after French chains E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Cooperative U told AFP they had been hit by a cyberattack that pushed refrigerator temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit in hundreds of outlets.

CBS News, the left-leaning outlet, leads with the spread across countries and the pattern of repeat incidents, tying the cases to concerns about attacks on increasingly interlinked infrastructure. It relies on named companies, spokesperson statements, Reuters and AFP reporting, and the French temperature figure, and it cautiously calls the hacks "apparent." The Blaze, the right-leaning outlet, frames the event as "another likely cyberattack" on the food supply, using the word "AGAIN" in its headline. It also stresses the threat to the EU's food supply and cites a statement calling the incidents a deliberate attempt to disrupt that supply and undermine consumer confidence. Both sides agree on the core facts: dozens of stores, several countries, a suspected cyberattack and the French precedent. They differ in tone and sourcing, with the left centered on company and wire-service detail and the right on the broader threat. Straight Arrow News, an independent outlet, largely matches the basic account.