Commentary
A second wave of suspected cyberattacks on European supermarkets has exposed a vulnerability that Canada’s food industry should take seriously. Grocery stores in at least nine countries reported refrigeration failures. One Swedish supermarket said its refrigeration systems had been remotely set to 50 C. Across the affected stores, tonnes of food had to be thrown out. An earlier wave had already hit stores in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
The economics explain why refrigeration is such an attractive target. Fresh food has a limited shelf life, and grocers and processors depend on a steady flow of deliveries. A few hours of disruption can mean discarded inventory, missed shipments, and lost sales. Even when the equipment comes back online, a grocer may still have to discard products if it cannot establish how warm they got or for how long….