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Several major US grocery operations experienced significant cyber incidents between November 2024 and June 2025, but they were not all the same kind of breach. Ahold Delhaize USA confirmed that files were taken from some internal US systems; Blue Yonder disclosed ransomware that disrupted services used by retailers including Albertsons and Kroger; United Natural Foods took systems offline after unauthorized activity; and a claimed Sam’s Club listing remains unverified. In some cases, the public evidence shows operational disruption without confirming that shopper data was stolen.
What happened, and which companies were involved?
The incidents fall into two categories: attacks on a retailer’s own environment and attacks on a supplier or technology provider that interrupted grocery operations. That distinction matters because empty shelves or delayed orders do not, by themselves, prove that a store’s customer database was breached.
Ahold Delhaize USA: internal systems taken offline
In November 2024, Ahold Delhaize USA took parts of its information-technology infrastructure offline. The company said the disruption affected some US brands and services, including pharmacies and e-commerce. In April 2025, it confirmed that certain files had been taken from some internal US business systems, while saying its investigation was continuing. The company had not established, in the public account reported by TechRadar, whether customer information was included.
TechRadar reported that Ahold Delhaize’s US operations covered 7,910 stores and served about 72 million customers each week. Those figures describe the company’s reported reach, not the number of people known to have had data exposed.
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Blue Yonder: ransomware at a shared service provider
On November 21, 2024, Blue Yonder said a disruption to its managed services was “the result of a ransomware incident.” Reporting identified Albertsons and Kroger among major US grocery customers affected by the service interruption. Retailers used contingency procedures and manual workarounds as delivery scheduling, warehouse processes and inventory-management functions were disrupted.
This was a third-party supply-chain incident. Public reporting connected it to delayed deliveries and operational problems, but did not establish that Albertsons or Kroger’s own networks had been breached or that their customer databases were stolen.
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United Natural Foods: distributor outage affecting store supply
In June 2025, United Natural Foods (UNFI) took systems offline after detecting “unauthorized activity.” A securities filing summarized by The Associated Press said the incident affected the company’s ability to fulfill and distribute customer orders. Whole Foods and other grocery businesses reported leaner supplies while UNFI worked to restore services.
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Sam’s Club: leak-site claim not confirmed
In reporting from March 2025, Check Point said the Clop extortion group listed Sam’s Club on a leak site. Sam’s Club was investigating the claim, but no proof of a breach had been published and the company had not disclosed specific incident details. This should be treated as an allegation, not a confirmed breach or a confirmed exposure of customer information.
Kroger’s own disclosure
Kroger’s fiscal 2025 Form 10-K stated that the company was not aware of a material cybersecurity threat or incident that had materially affected it during at least the preceding three years. That statement concerns incidents material to Kroger itself. It does not cancel out the separate Blue Yonder disruption affecting software or services used by retailers.
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The same filing described approximately 2,800 supermarkets, distribution warehouses, fulfillment centers and food-production plants. That is an operating-footprint figure, not a count of stores affected by the Blue Yonder event.
How the incidents differ
| Incident | Direct retailer compromise or supplier event | What is publicly confirmed | Customer-facing or operational effects | Disclosure status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahold Delhaize USA, November 2024 | Direct impact to the company’s internal US IT environment | Some files were taken from internal US business systems; inclusion of customer data was not established | Some e-commerce, pharmacy and other services were affected | Investigation was still continuing in April 2025 |
| Blue Yonder, November 21, 2024 | Third-party managed-services provider | Blue Yonder attributed the disruption to ransomware | Delivery, warehouse and inventory processes at customer retailers required delays or manual workarounds | Retailer-specific data theft was not established in the public reports |
| United Natural Foods, June 2025 | Distributor and supply-chain provider | UNFI detected unauthorized activity and took systems offline | Order fulfillment and distribution were impaired; some grocers had leaner supplies | Public filings described business impact while systems were restored |
| Sam’s Club claim, reported March 2025 | Alleged listing by an extortion group | No published proof of a breach | No specific impact was publicly confirmed | Unverified allegation under investigation |
| Kroger Form 10-K, fiscal 2025 | Company disclosure about Kroger itself | No known material incident materially affecting Kroger in at least the prior three years | Does not rule out supplier outages | Formal filing, separate from third-party incident reporting |
What shoppers may notice during a grocery cyber incident
- Online ordering: E-commerce sites, pickup scheduling or delivery windows may be unavailable or show stale inventory.
- Pharmacies: A retailer can keep stores open while pharmacy systems, prescription processing or refill services are limited.
- Inventory and deliveries: Supplier or warehouse software outages can delay replenishment, produce leaner shelves or force stores to use paper and other manual processes.
- Account communications: Attackers often exploit confusion with fake refund, loyalty-point, password-reset or order-problem messages.
- Payments: A service outage does not automatically mean payment-card data was stolen. Look for a specific company notice before assuming card exposure.
What to do if you shop at an affected chain
- Verify notices independently. Do not click an unexpected refund, loyalty or account-reset link. Open the retailer’s recognized website yourself or call the customer-service number printed on a card, receipt or official statement.
- Change a reused password. Create a unique password for the grocery account. Reusing it elsewhere lets attackers try the same credentials against email, banking and other services.
- Enable multifactor authentication. Turn it on wherever the retailer offers it. A physical FIDO2 security key is an option for compatible accounts and provides phishing-resistant authentication.
- Check for a formal data-exposure notice. Operational disruption alone is not proof that personal information was stolen. Follow the company’s instructions if it later confirms exposure.
- Consider a credit freeze or fraud alert when exposure is confirmed. These tools are most relevant when a retailer says personal information such as identity data may have been involved, rather than when a supplier outage only delayed orders.
- Monitor accounts and messages. Review grocery, email and financial accounts for unfamiliar sign-ins, password resets, orders or changes to loyalty details, and report suspicious activity through official channels.
How to interpret new claims
Look for three separate facts in any update: whether the affected system belonged to the retailer or a supplier, whether unauthorized access or file theft has been confirmed, and what customer-facing services were actually interrupted. A leak-site post is a claim until the company or independent evidence verifies it. Conversely, a retailer can experience genuine delivery or inventory disruption because a distributor or software provider is offline without evidence that the retailer’s own network was penetrated.
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Incident details can change as investigations and customer notifications proceed. Check the company’s dated statements and regulatory filings for the latest scope, affected services and any instructions specific to your account.
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