Huy Fong halts sriracha production, sparking shortage fears
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Expect Huy Fong Sriracha sauce to be in short supply. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Another sriracha shortage could be coming to a supermarket near you after Huy Fong Foods halted production of its popular spicy red sauce for several months.
Why it matters: The California-based company said in a letter to wholesale suppliers that it has halted production until after Labor Day because its red jalapeño peppers are too green, USA Today reported.
- "After reevaluating our supply of chili, we have determined that it is too green to proceed with production as it is affecting the color of the product," the letter said.
- Huy Fong told Axios Thursday that it had no comment.
Zoom in: Huy Fong Foods' chili garlic sauce and Sambal Oelek are also affected, USA Today reports.
- The company's letter also notes that all orders that had been scheduled beginning on May 6 will be canceled and the status changed to pending.
Flashback: Huy Fong Foods has had several shortages in recent years.
- In July 2020, the company told customers it was experiencing a shortage of chili pepper inventory.
- It warned of shortages in 2022 and 2023, blaming it on drought and weather conditions.
State of play: Other sriracha makers are flush with red jalapeños and have not reported any chile pepper production issues, Stephanie Walker, co-director of New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute, told USA Today.
- Walker, a professor and extension vegetable specialist has heard Huy Fong has "tried to enlist new growers so they would have a reliable stream of jalapeños and it sounds like they haven't been entirely successful yet."
Between the lines: A severe drought in Mexico, a major exporter of peppers, could be one reason for the production pause.
- Huy Fong got its peppers from Underwood Ranches in California for nearly three decades until a 2016 falling out.
- The "success of this particular sauce comes from a jalapeño that can only be produced in California or Mexico," Guillermo Murray-Tortarolo, a climate scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told the Washington Post.
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