Coca-Cola has temporarily suspended production at its Fairlife dairy operations across the United States after a ransomware attack hit the subsidiary. The company disclosed the incident in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, confirming that the cyberattack affected Fairlife’s production systems and forced a halt to manufacturing for the foreseeable future.
The company said the disruption is limited to Fairlife’s U.S. operations, while its dairy business in Canada continues to operate normally. Coca-Cola has not provided a timeline for restoring the affected systems or resuming production.
Fairlife is one of Coca-Cola’s largest dairy brands and has become a significant contributor to the company’s business, generating an estimated $4 billion in sales by 2024. The production shutdown highlights the growing impact ransomware attacks can have on large manufacturers and critical supply chains.
Cyberattacks targeting food and beverage companies have previously caused prolonged operational disruptions. Similar ransomware incidents at Arizona Beverages in 2019 and food distributor United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) last year led to weeks of production and distribution problems, with some retailers experiencing shortages on store shelves.
Coca-Cola has not disclosed further details about the ransomware attack, including the group responsible or whether any customer or corporate data was compromised. The company also has not said when Fairlife’s production systems are expected to return to normal operations.
