British food suppliers have been caught up in a wave of cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigerators across Europe, prompting warnings that outdated technology is leaving the UK’s food supply chain exposed.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) confirmed on Tuesday that vulnerable refrigeration technology had been exploited in a small number of incidents in Britain, after hackers remotely manipulated supermarket fridge temperatures across several European countries.

The attacks have forced retailers in Sweden, Belgium, Ireland and elsewhere to throw away large quantities of fresh and frozen food after refrigeration systems were switched into defrost mode.

Richard Horne, chief executive of the NCSC, said the agency had “worked through the night” to warn potentially affected British businesses.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Horne said it was too early to identify those responsible.

“It’s too early for us to say at the moment and give a definitive answer”, he said.

When asked whether the incidents reinforced warnings from the Defence Secretary that Brits should stockpile supplies, Horne replied: “Absolutely.

And we saw criminal attacks last year impact retailers in the UK”.

“We know it can happen, and we’ve seen it across Europe”, he added, warning that years of underinvestment had left the technology underpinning essential services vulnerable.

The British Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, which represents more than 300 businesses, confirmed that some members had been affected, although none had lost any inventory.

The incidents follow a similar attack on hundreds of French supermarkets last month, which caused millions of euros in damage after hackers exploited vulnerabilities in remotely managed fridges.

GCHQ warns of AI-driven cyber threat The attacks come as Britain’s cyber security chief prepares to warn that AI could trigger an unprecedented increase in cyber incidents by making existing vulnerabilities easier to exploit.

In a speech launching the NCSC’s latest report on Tuesday, Horne described the coming months as a critical turning point for Britain’s cyber defences.

“In the coming months, we face a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents”, he said.

“But we must be clear that is not because AI has invented new ways to attack....