Major US grocery chains have been hit by a cyber security incident

Ahold Delhaize cyber security incident knocked out online ordering and digital coupons at Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant Food stores.

You pull out your phone to check your grocery store digital coupons or order dinner. Suddenly, the app won't open. The website is down, and the groceries you were counting on tonight may never arrive. For anyone addicted to online grocery shopping, this is a frustrating problem.

That's the situation shoppers faced this week at several major U.S. supermarket chains. A cybersecurity incident at grocery giant Ahold Delhaize has forced the company to take some systems offline. The disruption affected Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant supermarket chains. The company said its physical stores remained open, although customers experienced disruptions to online service.

There is another reason why this story deserves attention. The same company suffered a major data breach in 2024 that exposed the personal information of over 2.2 million people. So, as investigators struggle to make sense of the latest incident, shoppers have a logical question: Could their personal information be at risk again?

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Stop & Shop is one of five major U.S. supermarket chains to experience disruption to online services following a cyber security incident at parent company Ahold Delhaize. (Ahlad Delhayzeh)

Major food cybersecurity incident affects five US supermarket chains

On October 12, Ahold Delhaize confirmed a cyber security issue in its network. The Netherlands-based company owns some of America's best-known regional supermarket chains and operates more than 9,400 stores worldwide. The company took certain systems offline to protect its operations while security teams investigated the problem. "Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the problem. This includes taking some systems offline to help protect them," Ahold Delhaize said in its official statement.

The company serves around 60 million customers every week across its international businesses. As a result, its technology issue could affect grocery shopping far beyond a single store.

A cyber security incident has disrupted the online services of five major US supermarket chains:

Stop & Shop: Serves customers throughout the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Madhashir: Operates supermarkets throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Hannaford: Serves communities in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.

Giant Food: Operates stores in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the Washington, DC area.

The Giant Company: Operates Giant and Martin stores primarily in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

According to Grocery Dive, websites and mobile apps for all five chains were still unavailable as of Wednesday morning, Oct. 14. It was at least the third consecutive day of online disruption. Customers have faced problems accessing online ordering and digital coupons. Some app-based loyalty features are also unavailable. Ahold Delhaize said in an update on October 13 that it had begun a controlled restart of some systems. However, as of Oct. 14, the company had not announced a specific timeline for restoring all affected services.

Are Stop & Shop, Food Lion, and Hannaford stores still open?

yes Ahold Delhaize confirmed in its October 13 statement that its supermarkets across Europe and the United States remain open and serving customers. Announcements from the affected U.S. chains also indicated that pharmacies were open during normal business hours. However, online shopping has faced significant disruptions. Customers have experienced interruptions in delivery and grocery delivery services. Meanwhile, shoppers who rely on digital coupons are having trouble accessing regular coupons.

As of October 14, Food Lion, Giant Food and The Giant Company also directed customers to third-party delivery services, including Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats, where available. For customers who depend on grocery delivery due to mobility challenges or limited transportation, these disruptions can cause serious inconvenience.

Food Lion stores remain open despite cybersecurity disruptions that have affected the supermarket chain's website, mobile app and online ordering services. (food milk)

What happens to online grocery orders and refunds?

If you placed an online grocery order that never went through, the affected supermarket chains said customers would receive refunds for those orders. However, it's worth checking your credit card or bank account to make sure the refund actually arrives.

Keep your original order confirmation and purchase emails. If the refund does not show up within the retailer's stated processing period, contact customer service through an approved channel. If your grocery store app isn't available, shopping at a physical store may be your most reliable option. However, if you need a specific service or want to confirm that a prescription is ready, call ahead.

The grocery giant is moving towards systems recovery after a security incident

On October 13, Ahold Delhaize released a statement, updated on October 14, saying it was beginning a controlled reboot of some systems. The company said it was working with external cyber security experts and relevant authorities to investigate the incident. In a direct response to CyberGuy, a spokesperson for Ahold Delhaize US provided an update on efforts to restore affected services. "Please know that our teams are working as quickly as possible to safely restore the systems we have taken offline as a precautionary measure, including our websites," the spokesperson told CyberGuy.

The spokesperson also confirmed that the stores remain open and apologized to customers for the disruption caused. However, Ahold Delhaize has not publicly identified who caused the problem or explained how its network was compromised. It has also not confirmed whether ransomware played a role. This leaves several important questions unanswered, including how the incident began and when all affected services will be restored. The company did not provide a specific timeline for the full renovation.

Has customer information been stolen in a food cyber security incident?

This may be the biggest concern for shoppers with online grocery accounts. In a statement, Ahold Delhaize said investigators found no evidence at the time that customer, employee or partner data was taken during the incident. This is reassuring for shoppers who have provided personal information to these supermarket chains. However, investigators were still investigating the incident as of that update. The initial findings of this company do not definitively rule out data theft. As of October 14, Ahold Delhaize had not confirmed that personal information was stolen in this latest incident. This means that buyers must be vigilant without having their personal information compromised.

Ahold Delhaize suffered a major data breach in 2024

Unfortunately, this is not the first major cyber security incident involving Ahold Delhaize. In November 2024, hackers gained unauthorized access to internal US business systems operated by Ahold Delhaize USA Services. Attackers obtained files that contain sensitive personal information. The company eventually revealed that more than 2.2 million people were affected. According to a filing with the Maine Attorney General, the breach involved approximately 2.24 million people. In the June 2025 breach notice, the company explained that the information stolen varies from person to person.

Health information contained in employment records

The vast majority of those affected were current or former employees, along with their dependents and beneficiaries. The company said it had no indication that customer or pharmacy payment systems were compromised during the 2024 attack. Ransomware group INC Ransom claimed responsibility for the previous incident. However, Ahold Delhaize has not publicly confirmed the group's involvement. There is currently no confirmed link between that attack and the October 2026 cybersecurity incident.

Why frequent cyber security incidents are a cause for concern

For many of us, grocery shopping now involves a lot more than going to the store with a shopping list. We create accounts, store payment details and use loyalty programs to access discounts. Some families depend on online ordering every week. When a supermarket chain experiences a cyber security incident, these facilities suddenly disappear. For Ahold Delhaize, the challenge now goes beyond restoring its plans. The company also faces questions about the security of its systems after experiencing two major incidents in less than two years. Customers deserve to understand what happened when investigators have reliable answers.

Grocers increasingly rely on mobile apps for digital coupons and online ordering, making cybersecurity outages especially frustrating. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

7 Ways to Protect Yourself After a Grocery Store Cyber Security Incident

Even without confirmed customer data theft, a widely reported cyber security incident can give fraudsters opportunities to target shoppers. These seven precautions can help you protect your data and avoid additional headaches.