Cult Sriracha hot sauce recalled over fears bottles could explode

A beloved brand of hot sauce has been recalled from Australian stores over fears the bottles are at risk of exploding upon opening.

A beloved brand of hot sauce has been recalled by numerous stores across Australia after fears were sparked the bottles could explode.

Sauce lovers are warned not to open a bottle of Sriracha hot chilli sauce and return it to where it was purchased for a full refund.

Consumers are warned, in particular, not to use bottles that feel under pressure, according to Food Standards Australia, which said a build-up of lactic acid inside the bottles had caused “certain bottles to ‘bloat’ and continue to ferment”.

The recall extends to bottles with a best before date of March 2021. Food Standards Australia said the Sriracha hot chilli sauce 502ml (17oz) and 828ml (28oz) sized bottles were widely sold at Coles, Woolworths, IGA, and independent and Asian grocery stores around Australia.

The beloved hot sauce has been recalled over fears the bottles could explode.

Sriracha sauce is also known as ‘rooster sauce'.

In November, police announced that bottles of the hot sauce had been linked to a large Australian drug bust. Australian Border Force officers said they’d found hundreds of millions of dollars worth of methylamphetamine (ice) inside bottles of Sriracha sauce, which a group were attempting to import from the US. Officers made the discovery on October 15 after they noticed inconsistencies in packaging of a shipment of 768 bottles being shipped to Australia.

A preliminary forensic analysis found the sauce bottles had been filled with 400kg of methylamphetamine. Police estimated the street value of the drugs was about $300 million.