What the Food Lion Cyberattack Means for Your Groceries

You open the Food Lion app to sort out your groceries, and it won’t load. Try the website, and you hit the same problem. The Food Lion cyberattack disruption is part of a cybersecurity incident at parent company Ahold Delhaize that left all five of its US grocery chains’ websites and apps unavailable.

You can still shop in person, with stores, pharmacies and fuel stations remaining open where available. Ahold Delhaize says it has found no evidence so far that customer, employee or partner data was taken, though its investigation continues. As of October 19, 2026, there is no announced date for US online services to return.

What Happened at Ahold Delhaize

You might first notice a failed login or an unavailable grocery app, but the disruption reaches beyond Food Lion. Ahold Delhaize identified a security problem within its network and disconnected some systems to protect them while teams investigated. To understand why your usual shopping tools remain unavailable, here is how events developed.

1. October 11. The incident is detected. The problem was identified on Sunday, with Albert Heijn reporting disruption at its Dutch businesses from that afternoon. At that point, you would not yet have had a public company statement explaining what was happening.

1. October 12. Ahold Delhaize speaks publicly. The company acknowledged the network security issue and explained that it had disconnected some systems as a protective measure. All five US grocery chains’ websites and apps were unavailable, although you could still visit their stores.

1. October 13 and 14. Recovery work begins. Ahold Delhaize said it had started bringing selected systems back in a controlled process, supported by outside cybersecurity specialists. It also said it had found no evidence so far of data being taken, while making clear that its investigation continued.

1. October 15 and 16. Digital shopping remains disrupted. You still could not use the affected US websites and apps, and retailers provided details about refunds and ways to access savings. Stop & Shop introduced an in-store discount, while Food Lion directed shoppers to its coupon kiosks.

1. October 18 and 19. European services begin returning. Reports indicated that Albert Heijn’s website and app had returned, although accounts differed on their availability and delivery restart dates. You still could not access any of the five US chains’ websites or apps on October 19, and no return date had been announced.

Which Stores and Services Are Affected

If you shop at more than one of these chains, switching between their apps will not solve the problem. All five US brands have unavailable websites and apps, with disruption to direct online ordering, digital coupons and some account features. Here is what you can use while those services remain down.

You see, an unavailable app does not mean your local supermarket has closed. If you need a prescription, contact the pharmacy directly rather than relying on an online refill request. Whether app or website refills still work has not been confirmed.

The European situation is less uniform. Reports indicated that Albert Heijn’s website and app had returned by October 18, but disagreed about availability and when deliveries would restart. Delhaize Belgium reportedly resumed online shopping over the weekend, after restrictions on ordering despite its website remaining accessible. Neither development gives you a confirmed reopening date for US services.

Your Orders, Coupons, Rewards and Prescriptions

Your grocery order, weekly discounts and prescription pickup do not all depend on the same services. You can still use some benefits in person, even while your account is out of reach. Here is what you can do, along with what remains unconfirmed.

Online Orders and Refunds

If you placed an order through an affected retailer’s website or app and it could not be fulfilled, you should receive a refund. Keep your order confirmation and check your card statement so you can follow up if the money has not returned.

For delivery during the outage, the chains direct you to DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats. You will need to use those services separately while direct ordering remains unavailable.

Coupons and Rewards

At Stop & Shop, you can get 10% off your next in-store purchase, capped at $10, through October 22. Check in at your store’s Savings Station to receive the discount.

At Hannaford, you can keep earning rewards by entering your phone number at checkout. At The GIANT Company, use your card or phone number to earn points, and your GIANT or MARTIN’S card for weekly circular digital coupons automatically activated from October 16.

Food Lion’s in-store kiosks still provide coupons and offers. However, Food Lion MVP points and Stop & Shop GO Rewards status have not been confirmed, and neither has gift card balance access or redemption. Do not assume every account benefit works because one does.

Pharmacy

Call your local pharmacy with prescription questions, since pharmacies remain open. Online and app refill availability has not been confirmed, so speak to the store rather than assuming a request went through.

Was Your Data Stolen

You cannot tell whether your information was stolen simply because your grocery app stopped working. Ahold Delhaize says it has not found evidence so far that customer, employee or partner information was taken, but its investigation is still underway. Here is what that statement tells you, and what it leaves unanswered.

What the Current Findings Mean

The company’s wording describes what investigators know at this stage. It does not give you a final guarantee that no information left its systems. If investigators find additional evidence, that assessment could change.

You also do not have a confirmed explanation of how the incident began. As of October 19, the company had not identified the attackers or confirmed ransomware involvement, and no public ransomware claim had been reported. Calling the outage a confirmed ransomware attack would go beyond what is known.

You see, disconnecting systems is itself part of the company’s response. An unavailable website tells you that a service is disrupted, but it does not establish whether someone copied your account information. Those are separate questions.

How the 2024 Attack Differs

The earlier incident makes this more concerning. Following an attack disclosed in November 2024, Ahold Delhaize notified 2,242,521 people in June 2025 that personal information had been exposed. That included sensitive employment records containing Social Security numbers, bank details and health information.

INC Ransom claimed responsibility for that earlier attack, and Ahold confirmed that files had been taken. However, you should not carry that finding over to October 2026. The earlier theft is confirmed history, while data theft in the current incident remains unconfirmed, and you have no confirmed attacker attribution for this event. For a sense of how other breaches have played out, see our coverage of the Oracle Health data breach.

What You Should Do Now

You cannot bring the grocery apps back yourself, but you can check your payments and avoid handing information to someone exploiting the outage. A message promising a refund or restored account access deserves a closer look. Start with these six steps. Our collection of phishing email examples shows the tricks these messages tend to use.

1. Treat unexpected messages carefully. If a text or email offers an outage refund, do not follow its link to provide payment details. You should never have to pay a fee to receive a refund, and you can check claims through the retailer directly.

1. Avoid links offering repaired apps. Do not download a supposedly fixed Food Lion or Stop & Shop app from a message. Use your phone’s official app store rather than installing a file sent by someone promising to restore access.

1. Check your card activity. Review your statements for unfamiliar transactions and refunds from unfulfilled grocery orders. Turn on transaction alerts so you can spot new charges, and contact your bank if you see activity you do not recognize.

1. Visit official websites yourself. Open the retailer’s usual website directly when checking updates or a claimed breach notice. If you need prescription help, contact your local pharmacy rather than relying on an unsolicited message offering assistance.

1. Report suspected scams. You can report fraudulent messages or refund demands at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If you already clicked a suspicious link and shared login or banking information, change the affected password and contact your bank.

1. Keep your purchase records. Save order confirmations, receipts and any refund correspondence until your money returns. Keep receipts for missed coupon discounts too, so you have something to show when asking the retailer for help later.

When Will the Websites Come Back

As of October 19, you do not have a confirmed return date for any of the five US chains’ websites or apps. Ahold Delhaize has said it is bringing selected systems back through a controlled process. Here is what the recovery updates mean for your next grocery order.

The company’s October 13 statement, updated October 14, described work to restore certain systems with help from outside cybersecurity experts. That tells you recovery work has begun, but it does not identify which US shopping services will return first. You cannot use that announcement to plan a pickup or delivery date.

What European Recovery Tells You

You may have seen more encouraging news from Europe. Reports indicated that Albert Heijn’s website and app were available again around October 18, with many functions working. Delhaize Belgium reportedly resumed online shopping over the same weekend, although some promotional offers remained unavailable.

Those reports need a little care. Accounts disagreed about Albert Heijn’s website availability and whether deliveries would resume as early as October 22 or on October 23. Even if you see European services returning, that gives you no confirmed timetable for Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Hannaford or either Giant business.

Where to Check for Updates

Ahold Delhaize is due to release its third-quarter results on November 4. You can watch that announcement for further information, but the company has not promised a cybersecurity update then. It is a scheduled financial report, not a deadline for restoring your app.

For now, check your retailer’s official notice before relying on direct online ordering. Keep another shopping option ready until the service you need is actually available.

What to Expect Next

You do not need to wait for your grocery app to return before buying food, collecting a prescription or using the in-store savings options your retailer has confirmed are available during the outage. What you do need is a clear answer about the service you usually depend on, whether that means Food Lion delivery, Hannaford pickup, a digital coupon or access to your rewards account. As updates arrive, look for details about those individual services rather than treating a working homepage as proof that you can immediately place an order, redeem every offer and manage your account as before. You have already seen why that distinction matters in Europe, where reports of websites returning came alongside continued limits on deliveries and promotional offers, without providing a timetable for the US chains.

For your next shop, give yourself a little room to change plans, keep the receipts and order confirmations you may need, and use the retailer’s confirmed alternatives if your usual route remains unavailable. If you are waiting for a refund or need help with a prescription, take that specific question to the retailer or pharmacy instead of relying on a message that unexpectedly appears in your inbox. You deserve clearer answers about when services will return and whether any information was taken, but neither an estimated reopening date nor a final finding on data theft has been announced as of October 19. Until those answers arrive, you can still get your groceries, use the savings options that have been confirmed and keep track of your money without having to solve the company’s technical problem yourself. If a scam text ever leads to trouble on your phone, our guide on how to know if your phone is hacked can help.

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