Nichirei outage affects food deliveries to about 5,000 clients

2026-07-15

Overview of the outage

An unauthorized-access related system outage at Nichirei is disrupting the country's largest frozen and refrigerated logistics network. The impact is spreading to about 5,000 clients, including restaurant operators, food makers and retailers, and there is no prospect yet for recovery.

Nichirei said on the 13th that the system outage was caused by unauthorized access. The disruption is affecting operations for receiving and shipping at refrigerated warehouses, as well as shipments of frozen food. The company said no leakage of personal information or customer data has been confirmed and that the outage is limited to Japan.

Its subsidiary, Nichirei Logistics Group, operates low-temperature logistics services that handle storage and transport of food, including products from other companies. It runs about 140 logistics sites nationwide and about 7,000 vehicles, delivering fresh foods and daily necessities to retailers and restaurants. Its refrigerated warehouse storage capacity is said to be the largest in Japan.

Impact spreads to dining and retail

The impact has already begun to reach a range of sectors. Flo Japon, a unit of Skylark Holdings based in Musashino, Tokyo, said on the 14th that it may suspend sales of some menu items, including cakes and tarts, at its pastry and deli chain Flo Prestige. There is still no outlook for when deliveries will resume.

Hidokatsu Kyushoku, which provides school lunches and boxed meals to nursing homes and companies, also said it may change its bento menu. Deliveries of frozen food routed through Nichirei's frozen warehouses have been delayed, and an official said, 'We are considering substitutes such as croquettes, but there is concern they could become more expensive.'

Retailers are also seeing stock shortages. Aeon said frozen goods and other items are out of stock at some stores and that it is checking the affected products and the scope of the impact. Some stores operated by Pan Pacific International Holdings, including Don Quijote, also ran short of Nichirei frozen foods. PPIH said it is investigating the cause, while adding that 'we believe there is no major impact at this stage because we have inventory.'

Food procurement also hit

Restaurant chains have also been affected. Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan said on the 14th that it is having difficulty procuring ingredients such as chicken. Stores may face stock shortages and menu restrictions, and temporary closures or shorter operating hours may also be possible. Orders through its official app, delivery and courier services were temporarily suspended.

Kura Sushi said on the 15th that it was also having trouble procuring ingredients. The company entrusts Nichirei with deliveries of sushi toppings and frozen foods, and some stores in Kansai, including Osaka Prefecture, are short of items such as 'yuzu salt bonito tataki' and 'aged pufferfish'. It does not plan temporary closures or shorter hours, but the timing of recovery is unclear.

The disruption is also affecting ice cream, whose demand rises in the summer. Imuraya Group said it has postponed frozen food deliveries scheduled for the 15th to clients. Deliveries of ice cream and frozen desserts are becoming difficult across a wide range of regions nationwide, and the company will also consider switching to other logistics providers.

Frozen food maker TableMark is also unable to ship frozen foods, both for home use and commercial use, in some areas where logistics are outsourced to Nichirei.

Search for alternatives

When problems occur at a logistics contractor, the impact on customers can spread quickly. At Askul, which suffered a cyberattack in October 2025, the online shopping sites of Muji and Loft, a household goods retailer in Tokyo's Shibuya district, were temporarily suspended after they outsourced logistics to the company.

Moves to secure alternative storage sites are also emerging. Kasumigaseki Capital, a real estate developer that operates frozen and refrigerated warehouses, has been receiving a series of inquiries from shippers such as manufacturers and logistics companies about alternative storage locations. The company said it will respond flexibly, including temporary acceptance where possible, to help keep frozen and refrigerated logistics running.

If Nichirei's outage drags on, the disruption could spread further across logistics for about 5,000 companies, including manufacturers, restaurants and retailers.

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