Supervalu clears 13 Irish stores of cold goods after cyber glitch

Thirteen Supervalu stores across Ireland removed all chilled and frozen products from their shelves on Monday morning. The supermarket chain took the step as a precaution after a cyber incident affected its refrigeration systems. The disruption occurred in locations including Lucan, Blanchardstown, Waterford, and Bray. The company expects the cost of the removed stock to reach thousands of euro. Shelves in the affected stores remain stocked with dry goods and other non-refrigerated items.

The problem traces back to a specific model of refrigerator used in those locations. A spokesman for Musgrave Group, the owner of Supervalu, stated that monitoring systems detected the issue. The company acted immediately upon receiving the alert. The spokesman confirmed the incident was limited to that one model of equipment. He said, “Our monitoring systems alerted us to the issue, and we took immediate action.”

Musgrave Group is currently investigating the cause of the malfunction. The company is working with the suppliers of the refrigeration equipment to identify the fault. Cybersecurity specialists are also involved in the process. The goal is to restore normal operations as soon as possible. The spokesman noted that customer safety is the primary concern during this period.

The incident arrives amid a string of similar attacks on European grocery retailers. The Financial Times reported on Monday that fridges in dozens of stores in Sweden and Belgium overheated in what is suspected to be a cyberattack. In Sweden, freezers at Ica and Coop shops reached temperatures as high as 55 degrees Celsius. In Belgium, supermarkets operated by Ahold Delhaize and Carrefour were also affected. These events followed a separate attack last month on French supermarkets.

The French incident affected 700 stores, including locations in the Intermarché, Coopérative, and Carrefour chains. That attack caused fires and significant food losses. Hackers accessed centralized, internet-connected fridge controllers used for remote temperature monitoring. They manipulated the settings to trigger prolonged defrost cycles. This caused the refrigerators and freezers to heat up, damaging the contents inside.

It is not yet determined if the Supervalu incident is linked to the recent attacks in Sweden, Belgium, or France. Musgrave Group has not stated whether the attack method is the same. The company continues to work with technical partners to resolve the issue. The 13 affected stores remain open to customers. All other products are available for sale as normal. The company said customers can be confident that products on sale have been stored at safe temperatures.

The removal of cold goods is a temporary measure. Supervalu will restock the shelves once the refrigeration systems are confirmed to be working correctly. The investigation into the cyber incident is ongoing. The company aims to minimize disruption to shoppers. The specific model of refrigerator affected will likely be repaired or replaced. Musgrave Group will provide further updates as the investigation proceeds.