Srirachapocalypse

Sriracha Sales Halted by California Health Department

Hot sauce in the city? Not until mid-January.
Hot sauce in the city? Not until mid-January. Photo: Amazon

Increased scrutiny of entrepreneur David Tran’s Huy Fong Foods, manufacturer of the iconic squeeze-bottle Sriracha sauce, has now extended to the product itself, and the California Department of Public Health has ordered that all outgoing shipments be held back for 30 days. Because the condiment is made from a raw, fermented mash of jalapeños, garlic, and vinegar that isn’t cooked, it is subject to health codes that require proof the sauces don’t harbor any potentially illness-inducing pathogens. The Irwindale, California, factory already faces a shutdown over nuisance complaints from the public, who say the neighborhood is often permeated with offensive, peppery odors.

“The regulations outlining this process have been in existence for years, but the modified production requirements were established for the firm this year,” a spokesperson tells the Pasadena Star News. Several wholesalers who normally ship Sriracha to restaurants and retail outlets across the country are already reporting they have none of the Huy Fong product left in inventory.

#Srirachapocalypse? Sriracha hot sauce shortage begins as sales halted
[Pasadena Star News]
Earlier: Sriracha Company Mulling Over Move to Philly, Anyhow

Sriracha Sales Halted by California Health Department