If you are of the opinion that everything tastes better doused with sriracha, you may find yourself out in the cold this summer. Huy Fong Foods, Inc., the nation’s leading manufacturer of the popular hot sauce, reports there is likely to be a sriracha shortage.
Donna Lam, executive operations officer for the company, attributes the shortage to weather conditions in a single region of Mexico, telling the Los Angeles Times, “It’s a crop thing and something that we can’t predict. It’s been happening since last year and this year is a lot worse, and that’s what put us back.”
The sauce derives its unique flavor from a particular strain of sun-ripened red jalapeño hybrid. Huy Fong is so determined to remain the number one producer of sriracha that the company refuses even to identify the region of Mexico where the special chilis are grown.
In a letter to retailers and restaurants, the company explained:
Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products. Therefore, all orders submitted on or after April 19, 2022, will be scheduled AFTER Labor Day [Sept. 6, 2022] in the order it was received.
