On the Front Lines of Cyber Crime: A Wake-Up Call for the Food Industry
Earlier this month, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, issued a blunt warning: “Cyber attacks are not a game. Not a clever exercise. They are serious organised crime. The purpose is to damage and extort.” That warning couldn’t be more timely.
Not long ago, I attended a powerful talk by investigative journalist Misha Glenny, author of Dark Market, a gripping exposé that unpacks the rise of global cybercrime. I devoured the book – and one truth stood out: attacks have evolved, but many sectors – including food retailers and chilled logistics – are still playing catch-up.
The recent breaches at M&S, Co-op and logistics provider Peter Green Chilled underscore this. These aren’t just IT incidents. They’re operational shocks with real-world consequences – empty shelves, halted deliveries, customer uncertainty, and millions in financial and reputational damage.
Cyber security has become a critical function of operational resilience, and it now demands a level of expertise and agility that’s increasingly hard to maintain in-house.
Contact us today to learn how our managed cyber security services support your operations and keep you one step ahead of tomorrow’s attackers.
Why Hackers Target Food Logistics
- Time-Sensitive, Margin-Driven Operations
Chilled food and logistics businesses depend on speed. A delay of even a few hours can spoil goods, breach contracts and result in significant losses. Attackers understand this – and they use it to their advantage.
Example: The ransomware attack on Peter Green Chilled halted orders for supermarkets like Tesco and Aldi. Thousands of chilled products sat idle, at risk of spoilage – and with that, the pressure to act (and pay) intensified.
Stat: IBM reports the average ransomware cost in the supply chain is £3.2 million, with downtime exceeding 22 days. - Legacy Infrastructure Under Strain
Many firms in this space still rely on a patchwork of outdated systems. They’re stable and familiar but often unfit for today’s threat landscape. And upgrading them isn’t always simple – or quick.
Stat: 66% of mid-sized supply chain companies experienced ransomware attacks last year, with legacy systems cited as a leading factor (Sophos, 2023). - Limited Internal Cyber Capacity
Unlike sectors where cyber threats have long been a boardroom issue, food logistics is only now elevating cyber security to a strategic priority. Many firms are still building out internal expertise – or are stretched too thin to stay ahead of every new threat.
Stat: Just 41% of chilled logistics businesses have a formal incident response plan (Cyber Readiness Institute, 2024).
From Weakness to Resilience: Best Practices for Supply Chain Cyber Security
At NormCyber, we analyse cyber security threat trends every day. The pattern is clear: hackers don’t need a specific industry. They need pressure points – and chilled logistics has plenty. High operational urgency, a growing digital footprint and limited internal coverage make for a compelling target.
Addressing the threats facing chilled logistics businesses isn’t about layering on more tools or expecting internal teams to simply do more with less. It’s about shifting from reactive defence to structured, strategic resilience – built on capability, clarity and consistency.
Here’s what best-practice cyber posture looks like today:
- Real-Time Threat Monitoring
Using automated tooling and managed detection services helps identify threats early – before they become business-disrupting incidents. This is particularly advantageous when in-house coverage can’t space 24/7 ‘eyes on screen’. - Segmentation of OT and IT
Critical systems – like smart fridges or telematics – must be isolated. Proper network segmentation stops attackers from jumping between systems and limits the blast radius when attacks do happen. - Make Cyber Awareness Everyone’s Business
Cyber security is no longer confined to the IT department – it’s a shared responsibility across the entire organisation. Whether it’s warehouse staff, drivers or dispatch teams, human risk management is key in defending against threats. That means building a culture where spotting phishing attempts, safeguarding credentials and reporting suspicious activity become second nature – not afterthoughts. - Business Continuity Through Simulation
Regular incident response roundtable simulations ensure that when systems go down, people know what to do – and how to keep operations running manually. - Visibility and Patch Discipline
Legacy systems can’t always be replaced overnight. But visibility, patching routines and third-party monitoring dramatically reduce exposure. - Extend Protection Across Your Supply Chain
Risk doesn’t stop at your front door. Insist that suppliers meet your security standards, enforce secure data exchange protocols and include cyber risk clauses in vendor agreements. - Compliance-Driven Confidence
From food safety to GDPR, resilience is increasingly part of regulatory review. Aligning your cyber strategy with compliance is now essential, not optional.
Confused about your GDPR responsibilities? Read this essential guide.
Building Resilience in the Food Industry: What It Really Takes
These recent breaches aren’t isolated cases – they’re a trend.
Building, maintaining and evolving a robust cyber security strategy, especially in a high-pressure, low-margin sector like chilled logistics, requires time, insight and experience. For many, that means rethinking what needs to be built internally and what’s better entrusted to dedicated specialists.
The difference between being informed and being resilient often comes down to execution. And execution, more often than not, depends on focus.
At NormCyber, we work every day to help businesses build cyber resilience that matches their operational complexity. For the chilled food and logistics industry, the time to act is not tomorrow – it’s now. Contact us today to find out how we can help your organisation build true cyber resilience – tailored to the unique demands of the chilled food and logistics sector.
Written By: Mark Lee, NormCyber
