A logistics firm supplying major UK supermarkets has been hit by a ransomware attack, disrupting its operations.
Peter Green Chilled, which distributes to Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Aldi, confirmed it was "being held to ransom" by cyber hackers who broke into their systems last Wednesday evening.
The company, though not among the top 30 UK food distributors, plays a crucial role in the supply chain for these major retailers.
Managing director Tom Binks told the BBC that while the cyber attack had occurred, "the transport activities of the business have continued unaffected throughout this incident".
In an email sent last Thursday, the company said no orders would be processed that day, although any order prepared on Wednesday would still be sent out.
The firm told BBC's Wake Up to Money that clients were "receiving regular updates" including "workarounds" on how to continue deliveries.
The company, though not among the top 30 UK food distributors, plays a crucial role in the supply chain for these major retailers
GETTYA ransomware attack typically involves hackers encrypting a victim's data and locking them out of computer systems, then demanding payment to hand back control.
The company has not provided further details about the attack beyond confirming it occurred on Wednesday evening.
One of the supermarket suppliers affected is Black Farmer founder Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, who has "something like ten pallets worth of meat products" with Peter Green Chilled.
He warned that if these products don't reach retailers in time, they will have to be "thrown in the bin".
The attack on Peter Green Chilled follows recent major cyber incidents targeting other UK retailers
MARKS & SPENCERHe added: "Ten pallets is thousands and thousands of packs of products, sitting there, and the clock is ticking. There's no information.
"Everything along the chain has to be stopped, and then there are thousands of pounds worth of product that are just wasting away."
The disruption threatens significant financial losses for suppliers who rely on timely distribution.
The attack on Peter Green Chilled follows recent major cyber incidents targeting other UK retailers.
M&S was hit over the Easter bank holiday weekend, leading to empty shelves across some stores and the theft of customer data.
The retailer has yet to fully restore its online shopping, with Reuters reporting that M&S is prioritising "safety over speed".
Similarly, Co-op narrowly avoided being locked out of its systems during an attack which exposed customer data and caused shortages of stock.
A ransomware group claimed responsibility for the M&S attack, which saw customer data stolen and disrupted product availability.
Phil Pluck, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, said the warehousing, food storage and distribution sectors were "constantly under attack".
Black Farmer founder Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones has "something like ten pallets worth of meat products" with Peter Green Chilled that has been affected
PAHe said there had been a few cyber attacks a few years ago, but there had been a "huge increase" in the last year.
Pluck explained that hackers were aware of how "critical" distribution was, as half of food consumed in the UK was through the "cold chain sector".
This made it a "really good lever to put the pressure on our companies to actually pay that ransomware", highlighting the strategic targeting of vital food supply infrastructure by cyber criminals.
