Oh no! Supermarkets may run out of Sriracha hot sauce soon
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Sriracha is a bright red hot sauce that has gained popularity as a go-to ‘street-food’ condiment in recent years.
The low-calorie paste-like sauce, named after the Thai town of Sri Racha, is made of chilli peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt and can be used as a dipping sauce for almost anything.
However, it appears that sriracha sauce fans may be forced to go cold turkey in the coming months due to an "unprecedented shortage" of one of the world's most popular hot sauces.
All of this is because Huy Fong Foods Inc., the California-based manufacturer of the crowd-favourite product made from sun-ripened chillies, has issued a warning that there will be a significant shortage of its products.
"We can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products," the company said in a statement, adding that the problems were "caused by several spiralling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chilli harvest."
Better stock up now, folks!
Sriracha hot sauce is becoming scarce due to a shortage of chilli peppers. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP.
The company sent an email to its customers in which it referred to a recent pepper shortage as "severe" and explained that it was caused by the weather.
The company gets its peppers from a variety of farms in California, New Mexico, and Mexico, and it stated that the weather conditions were affecting the quality of the peppers.
Hot sauce aficionados are understandably upset, as the company has stated that it is making every effort to find a solution to the problem.
"We hope for a fruitful fall season and thank our customers for their patience and continued support during this difficult time," the company said.
Because the situation is so worrisome, some restaurants have issued a warning that they may no longer be able to provide complimentary condiments to their customers in the future.
Some Aussies who are fans of the sriracha sauce have even admitted that they are considering stockpiling the hot sauce or even attempting to develop their own recipe for it.
On social media, one concerned user said, "I think I'm going to stock up! I can't imagine my life without it."
"There's a sriracha shortage in the world and I don't know if I'll survive," wrote a second user, while a third jokingly added, "I'm selling my half-used bottle for $100, with half a lettuce and one toilet paper, any takers?"
Stephanie Walker, a chilli expert at the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University (yes, apparently this is a thing), told the Wall Street Journal that less water and more heat can stress all crops, but especially chillies at the seedling stage, where they can die.
"Drought is definitely a concern," she said of the low chilli crop yield. "This, combined with the high heat, would be detrimental to seedlings once they were planted in the field."
"Vegetable production is completely intertwined with climate," she explained. "It's possible to lose a lot of plants."
It's possible that Aussies will have fewer options to choose from as a result of the climate's devastation of Huy Fong's crops in the United States. Others have suggested that now is an excellent time to show support for Australia's homegrown producers of chilli sauce.
However, if you want to make your own sriracha hot sauce blend at home, watch the video below for instructions!
Credit: Pailin's Kitchen.
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