Saving Money / Food

Sriracha Shortage Has Foodies Hot Under the Collar

Hagerstown, MD, USA - April 26, 2014: Image of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

Julie Clopper / Getty Images

First, it was paper toilet rolls, then it was pet food and now it’s Sriracha. The dearth of the beloved condiment on supermarket shelves across the nation is infuriating many hot sauce aficionados who are panic buying the bottles.

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Huy Fong, the maker of the Sriracha, said in a letter to customers that “due to weather conditions affecting the quality of chili peppers, we now face a more severe shortage of chili.”

“Therefore, all orders submitted on or after April 19, 2022, will be scheduled AFTER Labor Day (September 6, 2022) in the order it was received. Additionally, if you had provided us with a purchase order and have not received confirmation, it will be on hold until September 2022. We understand that this may cause issues.”

Bloomberg reports that the company confirmed on June 8 that a shortage of peppers in its inventory had affected the production of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.

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“This might be the worst food news all year,” Twitter user @fienixtaranova wrote.

“This is what fear looks like in a sriracha shortage,” Twitter user @smallestpuppy wrote with a picture of a cart full of Sriracha bottles.

But do not panic Sriracha lovers. In the meantime, there are alternatives. The Takeout recommends three options, Fix Hot Sauce, Three Mountain Yellow Sriracha and Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha.

There have been food shortages for several reasons, including lingering pandemic-related supply chain issues, weather and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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Bloomberg reports that Sriracha is just the latest item on a growing list of foods in short supply around the world, which includes chicken, popcorn, salami and fries.

So far, there is no word on price increases when the hot sauce becomes available again.

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About the Author

Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy is a full-time financial journalist and has written for several publications, including Dow Jones, The Financial Times Group, Bloomberg and Business Insider. She also worked as a vice president/senior content writer for major NYC-based financial companies, including New York Life and MSCI. Yaël is now freelancing and most recently, she co-authored the book “Blockchain for Medical Research: Accelerating Trust in Healthcare,” with Dr. Sean Manion. (CRC Press, April 2020) She holds two master’s degrees, including one in Journalism from New York University and one in Russian Studies from Université Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, France.

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