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Bloomberg

Brace yourselves spice lovers: the world is now facing a sriracha shortage.
The maker of one of the US’s most beloved condiments – Huy Fong Foods Inc. – has been forced to suspend production of its iconic spicy sauces due to a shortage of chilli peppers.
The company confirmed Wednesday that a shortage of peppers in its inventory had affected production of Sriracha hot chilli sauce, chilli garlic and sambal oelek.
What appears to be an April letter from the company to buyers of the products, dated April this year, recently came to light online.


“Currently, due to weather conditions affecting the quality of chilli peppers, we now face a more severe shortage of chilli,” the letter reads.
“Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products.”
Chilli-heads did not take the news lightly on social media, with some lamenting the “worst news of the year” and the “end of days”.
Others said they were planning to bulk-buy Huy Fong’s sauces in case shelves ran empty.
Hot facts about sriracha sauce, and why you’re saying it wrong
Extreme weather, pandemic supply-chain snarls and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have all taken their toll on food production this year.
Sriracha is just the latest item on a growing list of foods in short supply around the world, which includes chicken, popcorn, salami and fries.


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Food and agriculture

Now there’s a Sriracha shortage, and spice lovers are up in arms

Sriracha chili sauce bottles are produced at the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, California, in October 2013. Photo: AP

Jalapeño farmer Craig Underwood wins US$23.3 million after ‘spicy break-up’ with Sriracha maker Huy Fong Foods

Sriracha bottles produced at the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, California, in 2013. Photo: AP

Underwood Ranches now has its own line of chili sauces, including a Sriracha sauce. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Craig Underwood, who manages Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, holds jalapeño peppers picked from a field. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Craig Underwood of Underwood Ranches tosses jalapeño peppers into the air in the Ventura County, California, field where they are grown. Photo: TNS

Thai Sriracha plays it cool in the US and spices it up in China after realising it can take the heat

Thailand’s Sriraja Panich hot sauce on the left, and Huy Fong Food’s from the US. Photo: Shutterstock

Photo: Shutterstock

epa07164224 (11/58) Foreign tourists look at a range of fried insects for sale at a street food stall on Khao San road, in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 October 2018. The street food in Khaosan road is the house of many kinds of food but the most popular are fresh fruits, fried insects and Pad Thai. Fried insects attract the attention of tourists from all over the world. Bugs have been on the menu in Thailand for ages but a few years ago have they migrated from the forests to commercial farms and factories. The most popular method of preparation is to deep-fry crickets in oil and then sprinkle them with lemongrass slivers and chilis. They are crunchy and taste like fried shrimp. 'Pad Thai' is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at most restaurants in Thailand. EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAK ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07164213

epa07164232 (19/58) An elderly street cook serves Xoi, or sticky rice with lap xuong or Chinese sausage, at a street food stall in Hanoi, Vietnam, 29 October 2018. Sticky rice is usually served with meat or egg, but there are many variations, such as sticky rice with steamed chicken, sticky rice with mung beans, sticky rice steamed with peanut, and sticky rice with sliced coconut. Street food in Asia is a bit of everything that delights the palate and comes at a good price. It is colorful, tasty and varied; sometimes sharp, saucy or spicy. There is something for the sweet tooth, or to suit those looking more for a savory sensation. Drinks and snacks and full meals. EPA-EFE/LUONG THAI LINH ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07164213

epa07164228 (15/58) A customer eats the popular street food Mi an lien also known as Mi tom, instant noodle, normally served with pork or beef or sometimes the viscera or internal organs of a pig, such as the heart or liver, at a street food stall in Hanoi, Vietnam, 29 October 2018. Street food in Asia is a bit of everything that delights the palate and comes at a good price. It is colorful, tasty and varied; sometimes sharp, saucy or spicy. There is something for the sweet tooth, or to suit those looking more for a savory sensation. Drinks and snacks and full meals. EPA-EFE/LUONG THAI LINH ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07164213

The story of sriracha: how a hot sauce launched by refugee from Vietnam spawned a food empire

A bottle of Huy Fong’s famed hot sauce in the Asian food section of a New York supermarket. Photo: Alamy

Griffin in Huy Fong Foods.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

Griffin HammondPhoto: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

David Tran.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

Huy-Fong-Foods-Rosemead-B.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

Huey Fong.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

Underwood-Ranch-jalapenos.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

Young David Tran.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

many Sriracha brands.Photo: Courtesy of Griffin Hammond. [FEATURES 2019]

News

World

United States & Canada


Huy Fong Foods, which makes one of the most beloved condiments in the US, has been forced to suspend production as bad weather hits the chilli harvest
Fans of the hot sauce lamented the ‘worst news of the year’ and ‘the end of days’, with some planning to buy in bulk in case stores run out



Fans of the hot sauce lamented the ‘worst news of the year’ and ‘the end of days’, with some planning to buy in bulk in case stores run out.


Food and Drinks

United States