Huy Fong Foods, the company behind the Sriracha spicy sauce with the famous green cap and rooster on the bottle, has warned about a supply deficit this summer. Donna Lam, the company's executive operations officer, explained that the scarcity is due to weather conditions in a certain region of Mexico.
"It's a crop thing and something that we can't predict," Lam told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday. "It's been happening since last year and this year is a lot worse, and that's what put us back."
Lam refuses to say where part of Mexico is implicated, or the identity of the supplier, indicating how carefully guarded and competitive the whole market for Sriracha and Sriracha-like sauces is.
Nonetheless, the new information adds to the concern that erupted this week when word of the impending scarcity reached the general public.
Huy Fong Foods consumes roughly 50,000 tons of chilies each year, which are used to manufacture Sriracha, chile-garlic sauce, and sambal oelek.
Lam said the Irwindale-based firm buys chiles from various vendors in various parts of Mexico, but she wouldn't name them.
The chiles are harvested in the fall and spring. The drought, on the other hand, is impacting that country and sections of the western United States.
IRWINDALE, CA - MAY 14: Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce is bottled at the Huy Fong Foods plant on May 14, 2014 in Irwindale, California. Huy Fong Foods is at legals odds with the Irwindale City Council and residents of nearby houses where some have complained of ill effects caused by strong pepper odors during the fall pepper crushing season at the plant.
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Sriracha Faces Shortage Due to Drought, Rising Temperatures
The maker of one of America's most well-known condiments has been forced to halt production until at least Labor Day. The culprit is a worsening drought and rising temperatures.
"Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products," the company said in a statement obtained by CNN. "We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest."
According to a message posted on a food distribution website for wholesale purchasers on April 19, Huy Fong Foods is facing a more severe chili shortage because weather conditions hurt the quality of chili peppers.
At least one Kentucky eatery has already been impacted. Because of the shortfall, Brady's Sushi and Hibachi stated on Facebook that it might no longer give complimentary Sriracha at its tables and will restrict one spicy mayo every two rolls.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled numerous steps earlier this month that it claims would assist solve a range of concerns affecting the supply chain from farm to shelf.
About Drought
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger, drought has been destroying parts of the Southwest for more than two years. While the worst of the drought has gone, most of the Southwest is still experiencing unusually dry weather.
"The worst of the drought was found across the Central Valley of California and in central and eastern New Mexico, where the drought is classified as 'exceptional,'" AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said.
The drought in most of the Southwest, Deger said, is expected to continue or intensify in the coming weeks.
According to the North American Drought Monitor, while most of Mexico is having a "moderate" drought, a few small areas in northern Mexico are facing a "severe" or "exceptional" drought.
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