Jetten: intervention at AH may have prevented a larger incident
The prime minister says Albert Heijn acted wisely by shutting down systems as a precaution.
Follow-up to: Ahold begins controlled restart after cyber incident Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 15:29
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Prime Minister Rob Jetten says Albert Heijn may have prevented a larger cyber incident by intervening swiftly. The supermarket chain has been affected by outages, empty shelves and limited supplies since Sunday.
Jetten said on Tuesday afternoon, ahead of a Lower House (Tweede Kamer) debate, that it was important for Albert Heijn to take systems offline. According to the prime minister, the outage once again shows how vulnerable companies can be when digital systems are deeply intertwined with day-to-day operations.
Parent company Ahold Delhaize reported on Tuesday that it had begun a controlled restart of some systems. The company says its own shops are open, but that the impact varies by brand and country.
Albert Heijn previously reported that websites, apps, customer services and logistics systems had temporarily been unavailable. As a result, online orders could not be delivered and some shops experienced problems with supplies.
Ahold Delhaize says it has no indications that customer or staff data have been stolen. However, the investigation is still under way. The company is therefore not disclosing technical details that, according to the group, could compromise security or the investigation.
Jetten said that the food supply had not been endangered. According to him, customers can temporarily shop at other supermarkets. At the same time, he acknowledged that the government and businesses must learn from the incident, including about continuity and cooperation during digital disruptions.
Questions about the incident had been announced in the Lower House on Tuesday. The political debate is therefore not only about the cause, which remains unknown, but also about the responsibility companies bear and the requirements the government should impose on vital supermarket chains.
Jetten's latest comments follow earlier reporting on the controlled restart. The systems have not yet been fully restored, and it is still unclear when all deliveries, apps and loyalty services will be operating normally again.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Ahold Delhaize shut down systems as a precaution following a cyber-security incident.
- Albert Heijn's supplies and digital services were disrupted as a result.
- The cause and scale of the incident have not yet been established.
Left
Arguments Large supermarket chains perform a social function and should not be allowed to decide entirely for themselves how digital risks are managed. The government should impose stricter requirements on continuity, transparency and the protection of workers and customers.
Values Public reliability, consumer protection and shared responsibility.
Consequences More rules may increase costs and administrative burdens, but under this approach they reduce the likelihood that digital problems will immediately affect everyday life.
Centre
Arguments Companies should primarily secure their own systems, while the government organises standards, oversight and crisis coordination. The cause should first be established before new rules are introduced.
Values Proportionality, practicability and cooperation between government and business.
Consequences A gradual approach prevents overreaction, but may mean that structural vulnerabilities are addressed only after several incidents.
Right
Arguments A private company should remain responsible for its own security and business continuity. The government should be restrained in imposing additional obligations that raise prices or slow innovation.
Values Individual responsibility, market forces and limited government intervention.
Consequences Fewer rules may give companies room for tailored solutions, but increase the risk that security levels and crisis preparedness vary widely between businesses.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The new political response and the company update can be traced directly to public sources. Uncertainties about the cause, scale and data theft have been explicitly noted.
- confirmed Jetten said that Albert Heijn may have prevented a larger incident by intervening. — This was reported verbatim as a political statement. source
- confirmed Ahold Delhaize has begun a controlled restart of systems. — This is stated in the parent company's update. source
- confirmed Ahold Delhaize has no indications that customer or staff data have been stolen. — The company presents this as a preliminary finding in the investigation. source
- confirmed The incident was discussed in the Lower House on Tuesday. — The House announced questions about the security incident. source
Editor's note
Jetten's response and the controlled restart have been confirmed. The cause, scale and any data theft remain uncertain.Sources
- Jetten: incident AH onderstreept belang cyberveiligheid bedrijven — Transport Online via ANP
- Update on Ahold Delhaize's cybersecurity incident — Ahold Delhaize
- Het vragenuur van dinsdag 13 oktober — Tweede Kamer
The story so far
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 07:30 Websites and apps of Ahold shops hit by outage
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 08:28 IT incident hits three Ahold retail chains
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 10:58 Ahold shuts down systems after security incident
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 14:58 Ahold investigates security incident, shops remain open
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 16:01 Picnic and Jumbo see extra demand after Albert Heijn outage
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 22:30 Albert Heijn distribution centres halted, empty shelves loom
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 07:57 Albert Heijn websites remain offline after cyber incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 08:59 Albert Heijn halts deliveries after cyber incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 09:28 Empty shelves follow cyber incident at Albert Heijn
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 12:27 Albert Heijn keeps shops open, but deliveries remain limited
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 14:59 Albert Heijn partly recovers, delivery remains unavailable
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 15:29 Ahold begins controlled restart after cyber incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 16:00 Ahold has yet to find signs of customer-data theft
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 18:30 Jetten: intervention at AH may have prevented a larger incident (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „cyberveiligheid albert heijn”
- NU.nl — „cyberveiligheid albert heijn”
- De Telegraaf — „cyberveiligheid albert heijn”