Fairlife Had Eleven Days of Runway. Most Food Plants Can't Buy a Shift.
Zscaler, Friday, September 25th, 2026
Zscaler examines why food manufacturers face rising ransomware risk and less buffer time than Fairlife had this summer.
Black Kite counted 1,183 disclosed manufacturing ransomware victims in the first seven months of 2026, up nearly 40% year over year, with food and agriculture incidents up 62% and manufacturing ranked the most-attacked sector for five straight years.
Coca-Cola disclosed in an SEC filing that a July ransomware event forced Fairlife to suspend production at all four U.S. plants after unauthorized access reached production-related systems, though Canadian production and product safety were unaffected.
Fairlife's roughly eleven days of inventory runway let it absorb the disruption, but Zscaler notes most food plants lack that buffer. The piece argues attackers are effectively holding downtime hostage, and food and beverage makers face a shorter clock than most manufacturers.