Digital Threats, Empty Shelves: Why Cyber Security Matters More Than Ever For Fresh Produce

The UK government has rounded off 2025 with a concerted drive to strengthen national cyber security, introducing landmark legislation and reinforcing resilience across critical sectors — a move underscored by recent cyber incidents that have rippled through the grocery supply chain.

In November, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill was formally introduced to Parliament. The Bill expands the existing Network and Information Systems Regulations, setting tougher standards for essential services and digital infrastructure, improving incident reporting requirements and giving regulators broader powers to respond to emerging threats.

Alongside legislative action, government-backed research published with the Bill highlights the growing economic toll of cyber attacks across the UK economy. This evidence reinforces the need for stronger protections for businesses of all sizes, including those in food production and retail supply chains that increasingly depend on digital systems for inventory, logistics and customer engagement.

That urgency is not just theoretical. In April 2025, British retailer Marks and Spencer was hit by a significant cyber attack that disrupted its online ordering and in-store payment systems over several weeks. The incident, involving unauthorised access believed to be linked to a ransomware group, forced the retailer to halt online sales, revert to manual processes in parts of its operations, and absorb a substantial financial impact.

The attack had direct implications for the grocery sector, with disruption to stock availability reported in some stores and logistical challenges emerging across fresh food supply lines. For fresh produce suppliers and distributors reliant on real-time IT systems to manage short shelf lives, forecasting and daily replenishment, the incident served as a stark reminder of how cyber disruption can quickly translate into operational strain.

Cyber incidents during 2025 were not confined to a single retailer. A series of breaches and attempted attacks across UK retail and supply chain businesses prompted warnings from the National Cyber Security Centre, alongside renewed calls for cyber risk to be treated as a board-level issue rather than a purely technical concern.

For the fresh produce industry, where margins are tight and supply chains increasingly digitised from field to fork, the message is clear: cyber resilience is now business-critical.

As retailers, growers and logistics providers become more dependent on connected systems, alignment with emerging government standards and investment in robust cyber defences will be essential to safeguarding continuity, food availability and consumer trust.