Coca-Cola-owned dairy brand Fairlife has resumed most production across its four US manufacturing sites following a ransomware attack that temporarily disrupted operations.

Fairlife suspended production earlier this month after an unauthorised third party accessed parts of its technology network, including systems connected to manufacturing.

Coca-Cola said the business had now restored the majority of production at its US facilities as it continued working to recover affected systems and operations.

The shutdown raised the prospect of supply disruption for Fairlife’s ultra-filtered milk, Nutrition Plan shakes and Core Power protein drinks, which are distributed through major US grocers and convenience retailers.

However, Coca-Cola said existing stock had allowed retail availability to remain largely unaffected throughout the incident.

The drinks giant added that product quality and safety had not been compromised. Fairlife’s Canadian production facilities also remained operational during the disruption.

Fairlife launched an investigation with external cybersecurity specialists and advisers after detecting the breach and notified law enforcement authorities.

Coca-Cola subsequently confirmed that data had been taken during the ransomware incident, although it has not publicly disclosed the type or scale of information affected.

Hacking group Anubis has claimed responsibility for the attack and alleged that it stole one terabyte of data from the dairy business.

The production suspension lasted for around 11 days, after Fairlife first disclosed the disruption on 16 July and announced that most manufacturing had restarted on 27 July.

Coca-Cola said it did not expect the incident to have a material impact on its financial position or results.

The disruption highlights the growing supply-chain risks facing grocery manufacturers as cyber criminals increasingly target operational technology and production systems.

For retailers, attacks on major suppliers can create short-notice availability issues, particularly in fast-growing categories where demand is concentrated among a limited number of brands and manufacturing sites.

Fairlife, which is wholly owned by Coca-Cola, specialises in value-added dairy products with higher protein and lower sugar content than conventional milk.

The brand has become an increasingly important part of Coca-Cola’s portfolio as consumer demand for functional drinks and protein-rich products continues to grow.

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