Posted on 12/12/2013 4:20:17 AM PST by Aunt Polgara
IRWINDALE>> The famous rooster sauce is in short supply this month thanks to a new state regulation that requires manufacturer Huy Fong Foods to hold its Sriracha for 30 days before shipping it.
Officials with the California Department of Public Health said a rule change affecting the company’s production procedure for Sriracha and its other two sauces became necessary after government officials reviewed the manufacturing process earlier this year.
“The regulations outlining this process have been in existence for years, but the modified production requirements were established for the firm this year,” state Health Department spokeswoman Anita Gore said in a written statement.
Because Sriracha is not cooked, only mashed and blended, Huy Fong needs to make sure its bottles won’t harbor dangerous bacteria.
The hold took effect on Monday, so Huy Fong can’t ship any of its product until the middle of January. This means a shortage of supply for many of the company’s customers.
“It’s a disaster,” said Damon Chu, president of Giant Union Co. “We’ve done business with them for 20 years and we’ve never had this kind of thing before. We get shipments every two to five days and we never had any thought of them saying they don’t have it, so we don’t store that much.”
Chu said his Whittier-based company, which ships out the three different Huy Fong sauces to wholesale distributors, has no Sriracha left. The impending shortage could affect businesses that serve everything from spicy tuna rolls to hot dogs and pizza.
Many of Chu’s customers are already upset about the Sriracha shortage.
“We have contracts with them and if we don’t supply it they are going to sue us,” Chu said. “We are trying to convince them it’s not our fault. We are kind of nervous.”
Donna Lam, executive operations officer for Huy Fong Foods, said the company has been fighting stricter regulations, but gave in this week.
“It’s not a bad product, that’s not the issue. It’s strictly regulations,” Lam said. “We’re back ordered as it is but now we have to tell customers we aren’t sending anything until mid-January.”
Lam said the company has been saddled with the hold rule since it began production at its 650,000 square foot factory in Irwindale. Previously the spicy condiment had been manufactured for 30 years in Rosemead.
The shipping halt is just the latest in a series of setbacks for the chili sauce giant. Huy Fong is in the midst of a legal battle with the city of Irwindale after residents complained of odors coming from the factory. An L.A. judge ordered the company to stop production unless they could reduce the smell.
Despite the panic by some distributors, others weren’t too concerned.
Eric Greenspan, chef at The Foundry in Los Angeles, said he loves the famous rooster sauce, but would be able to get by if there were a temporary shortage.
“If I have to mix Tabasco and ketchup for a day or two I will,” said Greenspan, who participated in this year’s first ever L.A. Sriracha Festival.
Greenspan said he thinks the Sriracha crisis is getting a bit extreme.
“This much stuff doesn’t happen to a condiment all at once, it’s farcical,” Greenspan said. “I’m not saying it’s a conspiracy theory, but I’m saying it’s a conspiracy theory. How come mayonnaise has never had this problem?”
Looks like whatever incentives Irwindale offered were fraud. I would call up Rosemead and reopen that factory.
I bought a large bottle for $2.55 last month only because it was on sale...so I am all set. I like Sriracha because it is not super hot. Tabasco is harsh vinegary crap compared to Sriracha.
Tapatio is a good hot sauce and same for Cholula...both are full body and hot. But not too hot
Saw it on the shelf a few days before Thanksgiving. Bought two bottles. That was before the snows hit.
Simple answer..move the factory to another state and leave the idiots in California without the jobs or the tax revenue. I am sure Texas would welcome Huy Fong Foods with open arms, give them a ready local market and not tax them to death.
Some competitor or other ill-wisher is using the goobermint to hassle Huy Fong.
There’s nothing wrong with their product or their production and packaging method. They sell gazillions of bottles of the stuff. I have never heard one single complaint about anybody getting sick off their product.
This is “crony capitalism” at its most disgusting, or as Adam Smith called it back in 1776, “mercantilism”.
CA is the gift that keeps on giving. /s
“...The government and regulators of kalifornia are known to most of the rest of the country to cause high blood pressure, sore forehead from the ‘not this 5h1t again’ head-smack, and a general sense of malaise due to the wearysome amount of stupidity that emanates from that western idiocysink...”
KYPD
The left could **** up a wet dream.
The "have there been any incidents" question is still valid. I don't know of any samples, at any time or age, that showed a harmful bacteria level. The inspectors are applying their cookie-cutter formula. Not cooked? Hold 30 days, then inspect, then (if it passes) ship.
What happened to the raceway?
Move to OK....we would love it!!
“What happened to the raceway?”
The Irwindale Raceway is still there.
http://www.irwindalespeedway.com/index.php
My guess is a neighbor of the new factory.
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