Coca-Cola Suspends U.S. Fairlife Production Following Ransomware Attack
(RTTNews) - Coca-Cola Company (KO) has temporarily paused production at its Fairlife dairy facilities in the United States after a ransomware attack disrupted the subsidiary's production systems.
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said an unauthorized party accessed Fairlife's systems in what it believes was a ransomware incident. Coca-Cola said it is investigating the breach with support from external cybersecurity specialists and has notified law enforcement.
The company said it is still assessing the scope and impact of the attack, but emphasized that product quality and safety have not been affected. Fairlife's U.S. production has been halted while affected systems are restored, while operations in Canada continue as normal.
Coca-Cola did not say when U.S. production is expected to resume. Coca-Cola acquired Fairlife from Select Milk Producers in 2020 for roughly $7 billion. The dairy brand which sells milk and protein shakes—generates more than $3 billion in annual sales and is one of Coca-Cola's key growth businesses.
The incident underscores the growing ransomware risk facing food and beverage manufacturers, where attacks have previously led to extended downtime and supply-chain disruption.
