TORONTO — Maple Leaf Foods, Inc. has suffered system outages due to a cyberattack, according to the company. The company did not provide details about the scope of the outages within its organization.

“Upon learning of the incident, Maple Leaf Foods took immediate action and engaged cybersecurity and recovery experts,” the company said. “Its team of information systems professionals and third-party experts are working diligently with all available resources to investigate the outage and resolve the situation.

“The company is executing its business continuity plans as it works to restore the impacted systems; however, it expects that full resolution of the outage will take time and result in some operational and service disruptions. The company will continue to work with all its customers and suppliers to minimize these disruptions in order to continue delivering the nutritious food people need.”

Cyberattacks on businesses have occurred frequently over the years and food manufacturers have experienced their share. In 2021, an attack on JBS USA, a business unit of São Paulo, Brazil-based JBS SA, halted production at some meat processing plants in North America and Australia. The company ended up paying $11 million in ransom to obtain full control of its systems.

In 2017, a cyberattack on Mondelez International, Inc. took a toll on the company’s top line. The attack reduced quarterly sales by approximately 2.3% and resulted in about $7.1 million in expenses.