Why iconic Huy Fong Foods’ sriracha sauce has been missing for months

In the sauce aisle of your local supermarket, there will all but certainly be a gap where a certain green-lidded, rooster-emblazoned bottle once stood.

Peruse the condiment or international food aisle of your local grocery store, and you’ll almost certainly find a space where a certain green-lidded, rooster-emblazoned bottle once stood: that of Huy Fong Foods’ iconic sriracha sauce.

Created by Vietnamese migrant David Tran and first released in Los Angeles in 1980, the condiment is a firm fixture in restaurants and homes the world over, with devotees insisting it tastes good drizzled on everything from popcorn to pizza, and can resurrect even the saddest of office lunches.

But, since May, Huy Fong’s cult-like following has, once again, been left wanting.

In a letter on April 30, Huy Fong Foods informed customers and suppliers that production on what is inarguably the world’s most popular sriracha brand had been halted.

A severe drought in Mexico, where Huy Fong’s jalepeno chillies are grown, meant the ingredient hadn’t ripened and achieved their prized red colour.

Bottles of Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha have been missing from shelves for months. Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

“After re-evaluating our supply of chili (sic), we have determined that it is too green to proceed with production as it is affecting the color (sic) of the product,” the announcement, first reported by USA Today, read.

“Although this does not affect the quality and falvor (sic) of our sauce, we regret to inform you that we have decided to halt production until after Labor Day (September 2), when our next chili season starts.

“This affects all products (Chili Garlic, Sambal Oelek, and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce). Unfortunately, all orders that have been scheduled beginning on May 6, 2024, will be cancelled and the status changed to pending.”

In a letter on April 30, Huy Fong Foods informed customers and suppliers that production had been halted. Picture: Reddit

Both Coles and Woolworths confirmed they hadn’t stocked the product in months – though both offer plenty of alternatives from the likes of Flying Goose, Trident and Tiao Hu.

On social media, Aussies have shared their despair over the “impossible to find” product, declaring “it’s officially time to panic”.

And it could be several more months before supplies here are replenished. A local distributor of Huy Fong products, who did not wish to be named, told The Sydney Morning Herald last week he doesn’t expect Australia to get stock until October or November, given the extent of the shortage and the backlog of global demand.

‘Huy Fong Foods got themselves in this situation,’ one expert told The New York Times. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

It’s a reality that fans of the beloved condiment are, by now, well accustomed to.

For years, the manufacturer has been plagued by interruptions to its production, with past shortages attributed to drought, low supplies of raw materials, and a disastrous falling out in 2016 between Mr Tran and his former chilli supplier of 30 years, Craig Underwood.

The latter disaster left both parties millions of dollars out of pocket, and Huy Fong Foods with a patchy supply of jalepenos. Mr Underwood, who now produces his own, rival hot sauce, has even boasted his chilli harvest, grown in California, remains bountiful.

“Huy Fong Foods got themselves in this situation when their relationship with Underwood Ranches broke down,” co-director of New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute, Stephanie Walker, told The New York Times.

“It’s an important lesson for other processors that you need to take care of your grower base and keep those strong relationships intact.”

When Huy Fong Foods in 2022 and 2023 suspended production citing a “shortage of raw material” because of similar climate issues to those affecting it this year, Mr Underwood told CNBC that he could have kept up with demand if he were still the company’s supplier.

Originally published as Why iconic Huy Fong Foods’ sriracha sauce has been missing for months