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Sriracha shortage
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There’s an ‘Unprecedented’ Sriracha Sauce Shortage on the Way

Nick Hall, | News

Your trip to the shops may soon get a little spicy, but not necessarily in the way you imagined. Like the toilet paper wars of early 2020, there’s a new supermarket sh*tfight on the way, with Huy Fong Foods Inc., the creators of the world’s most popular hot sauce, confirming that an “unprecedented shortage” of sriracha is set to hit (or not hit) shelves in the near future.

Sriracha shortage 2022

Image: NICK UT – AP

In an email to customers last week, the company revealed that a “severe” pepper shortage was to blame for the lack of supply, citing climate-related issues as a major catalyst. The product itself is derived from sun-ripened chillies, sourced from various farms across California, New Mexico and Mexico, however, recent weather conditions had significantly impacted the quality of the peppers.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” the company said in a statement, as reported by Bloomberg. “We are still endeavouring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiralling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chilli harvest. We hope for a fruitful fall season and thank our customers for their patience and continued support during this difficult time.”

According to a letter from Huy Fong Foods sent to buyers in April, all orders submitted on or after April 19 would be fulfilled from September onwards, leaving many hot sauce fans in the lurch for the time being. The announcement comes after soaring temperatures and drought across parts of the western United States and Mexico hit the agriculture industry hard, and it’s not an isolated issue. The ongoing baby formula shortage is one example of how weather concerns can drive major supply chain issues in developed markets. For California-based Huy Fong Foods, however, the impact of changing weather patterns is two-fold. Not only will sriracha stocks remain low, but also its Chilli Garlic and Sambal Oelek products.

“We understand this may cause issues. However, during this time we will not accept any new orders to be placed before September as we will not have enough inventory to fulfil your order,” the company said.

Naturally, the world’s hot sauce fans took to social media to share their outrage and the responses were spicy. One Twitter user took the announcement personally, asking the question, “There is a Sriracha sauce shortage and they’ve suspended production. What’s the f***ing point in living anymore?”. Staring down the barrel of months without the sweet stuff, you have to say he’s got a point.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Nick Hall

Nick Hall is the Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many and an accomplished journalist. He completed a Bachelor of Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology, with a double major in Journalism and Music. Prior to working at Man of Many, Nick spent two years as a journalist with Inside Franchise Business, focusing on small business, finance and legal reporting. In 2021, Nick was named B&T's Best of the Best Journalist of the Year. With an extensive background in the media industry, Nick specialises in feature writing, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment content. A qualified barber and men's stylist, Nick also holds a Cert III in Barbering from the Queensland Hairdressing Academy.

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