Coca-Cola has shut down U.S. production for its dairy brand Fairlife after it was hit by a ransomware attack, the company announced Thursday.
The company said in a statement that it had “identified unauthorized access by a third party to a portion of its systems, including its production-related systems,” and as a result, production in the U.S. is temporarily suspended. However, its operations in Canada have not been impacted.
“The full scope, nature and impacts of the incident are not yet known,” Coca-Cola said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. “Accordingly, the Company has not yet determined whether the incident is reasonably likely to materially affect the Company.”
It’s not immediately clear how the pause in production could impact vendors and supplies at stores.
“Product quality and safety have not been impacted,” the company said.
Coke purchased Fairlife, which it stylizes lowercase as fairlife, in 2020. It sells milk and protein shakes. In 2022, the brand surpassed $1 billion in annual retail sales. Earlier this year, Coke announced it would invest $650 million to expand production at Fairlife’s Michigan facility.
It’s unclear when the company first discovered the cyberattack, but said once it was detected it “promptly activated its incident response and business continuity protocols.”
“The company’s investigation and assessment of the impact of the incident is ongoing, with the assistance of outside advisors and cybersecurity experts. The company has also notified law enforcement,” Coca-Cola said.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson declined further comment.
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