Coca-Cola pauses Fairlife U.S. production after suspected ransomware attack
Coca-Cola says Fairlife’s U.S. production is on hold after an unauthorized user accessed its systems, though product quality and safety were not affected.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Coca-Cola has put Fairlife production in the United States on hold after what the company believes was a ransomware attack on the milk brand’s production systems.
The beverage company said Thursday that an unauthorized outside user gained access to systems used by Chicago-based Fairlife. Coca-Cola said it detected the technology disruption, opened an investigation with outside cybersecurity specialists and alerted law enforcement.
The company said it does not yet know the full scope of the breach, including the nature of the incident or all of its effects. Coca-Cola also said the issue has not affected the quality or safety of Fairlife products.
The operational hit is limited to the United States, according to Coca-Cola. Fairlife operations in Canada are continuing as normal while the company works to complete its investigation and bring affected systems and production back online.
Coca-Cola has not said when the breach happened. It also has not provided a timeline for when U.S. production will resume.
The disruption lands on one of Coca-Cola’s major non-soda brands. The company bought Fairlife from Select Milk Producers in 2020 in a deal valued at roughly $7 billion.
Fairlife sells products including milk and protein shakes. Coca-Cola says the brand brings in more than $3 billion in annual sales.
Fairlife sits inside a much broader Coca-Cola portfolio that includes about 200 brands across soft drinks, water, hydration products, coffee, tea, juices and alcohol categories, according to the company.
The company’s public statement did not identify who was behind the breach. It also did not say whether any data was stolen, whether a ransom demand was made or how many facilities were affected.
For now, Coca-Cola’s message is narrow: the cyber incident has interrupted U.S. Fairlife production, the investigation is still underway and the company says its milk and related products remain safe.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.