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Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is investigating whether a possible cyberattack caused sudden temperature increases in refrigerators and freezers at several stores on Monday, forcing some locations to discard food after the cold chain was disrupted.
Belgian broadcaster RTL reported that Delhaize management sent a text message to store managers at around 4:00 a.m. (3:00 a.m. GMT), warning of sudden temperature increases in cooling systems at some locations.
Temperatures in refrigerators and particularly freezers at several stores reportedly rose suddenly to around 15 degrees Celsius.
Store managers and employees took emergency steps to limit losses, with some locations bringing in refrigerated trucks to protect products.
The disruption has already caused economic losses, according to the report, with some affected stores forced to dispose of all refrigerated and frozen products because the cold chain could not be maintained.
Fresh and frozen food products were expected to be among the most heavily affected.
Delhaize's unit responsible for cooling systems began working to address the problem.
The cause of the incident has not yet been confirmed, but authorities are considering the possibility of a cyberattack, according to RTL.
The incident follows an Oct. 12 cyberattack targeting well-known supermarket chains in France, where products stored in refrigerators were also destroyed after the cold chain was disrupted.
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