Sriracha shortage looming? Huy Fong stops production until September
Huy Fong Foods, maker of Sriracha sauce presented in rooster-adorned bottles with green caps, says it has halted production until after Labor Day, raising fears of a new shortage.
The California company blamed the popular condiment’s production problems on red jalapeño peppers that provide the hot sauce’s sweet, tangy heat. They are not red enough, according to Huy Fong Foods.
“After reevaluating our supply of chile pepper, we have determined that it is too green to continue production because it affects the color of the product,” he told bulk buyers in a letter obtained this week by USA TODAY . Huy Fong Foods does not sell directly to consumers.
“We regret to inform you that we have decided to halt production until after Labor Day, when our next chili season begins,” the letter continues.
This could be a bland summer. Previous red jalapeño shortages have made finding Huy Fong Food’s Sriracha sauce nearly impossible. The company’s Chili Garlic Sauce and Sambal Oelek are also affected.
“Unfortunately, all orders scheduled from May 6, 2024 will be canceled and their status will be changed to pending,” Huy Fong Foods said.
Asked about production issues, Huy Fong Foods told USA TODAY via email: “At this time we have no comment. »
Will there be a shortage of Huy Fong Foods Sriracha?
Other Sriracha makers are stocked with red jalapeños and have reported no problems with chili production, according to Stephanie Walker, a professor and vegetable specialist at New Mexico State University.
She assumes that Huy Fong Foods, which sources its chili peppers from Mexico, has yet to establish strong relationships with reliable jalapeño producers.
“I’ve heard that they’ve been trying to recruit new growers in order to have a reliable supply of jalapeños and it seems like they haven’t been entirely successful yet,” said Walker, co-director of the jalapeño department at his university. Chile Pepper Institute.
Root of the Sriracha problem: fallout with the supplier
California-based Underwood Ranches was Huy Fong’s sole jalapeño supplier for decades until the partnership collapsed in 2017 following a financial dispute.
Two years later, a jury determined that Huy Fong had breached his contract with Underwood Ranches and committed fraud, awarding Underwood $23.3 million. Today, Underwood Ranches produces a rival brand of Sriracha sauce.
Chili peppers, which are usually picked by hand, are a labor-intensive crop. Huy Fong Foods uses around 50,000 tonnes of chili peppers per year to prepare its hot sauces.
“Growing chili peppers or jalapenos is a delicate crop. You definitely need to have experience and know how to harvest the crop,” Walker said.
Red jalapeño peppers are the key to flavorful Sriracha
Huy Fong told retail customers that the color of its Sriracha sauce was affected by jalapeños harvested too early, but not the quality and flavor.
However, using red jalapeños picked while they are still green would alter the taste, according to Walker. When they ripen, red jalapeños tend to be sweeter and have a more complex flavor. When she worked in the industry, Walker’s processing plant rejected any red jalapeño with more than 5 percent green.
“Red and green jalapeños come from the same plant. Green fruits are just immature fruits, and as they physiologically mature, they turn red,” Walker said. “One of the reasons we imposed this strict limit of 5% is that green fruit can dilute the color, but that also affects the flavor.”
Huy Fong fans: get ready to run on Sriracha
The Huy Fong Sriracha empire dates back to the end of the Vietnam War, when David Tran moved to Los Angeles and decided to get into the Sriracha business. In 1980, he was delivering orders in a blue Chevrolet pickup truck. The Sriracha produced by his company in Irwindale, California, has been a staple for hot sauce lovers ever since.
But the excruciating shortages that have hit Huy Fong in recent years have frustrated fans who beg for bottles on social media, steal them from restaurants or pay astronomical prices to spice up steaming bowls of pho and ramen or platters of rolls. of sushi.
As bottles reappeared on grocery store shelves and restaurant tables and households restocked, the stomach aches eased. But some Sriracha fans say they still feel scarred and that old hoarding habits die hard.
“How much hot sauce bottles Are there too many in the kitchen cabinets? I’m asking for a friend,” a Huy Fong fan recently posted on X.
Another replied: “My boyfriend is Vietnamese. I just counted 16 in the pantry, two in the fridge and one on lazy Susan. He still hasn’t overcome the shortage of Huy Fong Sriracha.
News Source : www.usatoday.com
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