Sriracha lovers burned as maker halts production due to pepper shortage

theguardian.com:

A looming Sriracha shortage has hot sauce lovers feeling fiery, after the maker of the popular condiment said it was suspending sales over the summer due to a shortage of chili peppers.

Southern California-based Huy Fong Inc confirmed that its beloved products, including Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek, would be affected, according to Bloomberg.

In an April email to customers, the company described the pepper shortage as “severe” and related to the climate. The company sources its peppers from various farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico, and said that weather conditions were affecting the quality of the peppers and deepening the chili pepper shortage.

The company email said all orders submitted after 19 April would be fulfilled after Labor Day.

“Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products,” the company said.

“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 fulfill your order,” the company added.

Hot temperatures and a historic drought across the US west have been taking a heavy toll on California’s agriculture. The US Drought Monitor reported that the whole state was in “severe drought” as of last week, with the Central Valley facing “extreme drought” conditions.

The news has left Sriracha fans burned, with some on Twitter calling it a “sign of the apocalypse” and others suggesting the Sriracha hoarding was about to begin.