‘Long-term’ Sriracha shortage could impact restaurant, manager says

After the producers of Sriracha warned in a statement that a shortage of its product was “unprecedented,” one Alberta restaurant worries about how customers will react to missing out on their favourite spicy sauce.

“It’s mixed with the pho, you know? It’s really good when you mix the Sriracha in,” saidRose Tan, manager at Phobulous Vietnamese Restaurant Edmonton.

“All Vietnamese restaurants, they have Sriracha. … If it’s going to be long-term, it’s going to be not good for the business.”

Huy Fong Foods, one of the world’s largest producers of the Asian hot sauce, attributes the shortage to droughts in Mexico and the southwestern U.S., causing a crop failure of the chili used in Sriracha. The company said it has been forced to stop production on the popular hot sauce, and that orders for Sriracha filled after mid-April won’t be filled until September.

“We can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” the company saidCTV National News made the following statement.

Huy Fong Foods saidIt hopes that a better harvest of chilies in the fall will increase production. However, as with many food items these days, a shortage could result in an increase in grocery store prices.

Experts believe that the unpredictable effects of climate change could lead to unexpected shortages of Sriracha and other products.

“This is part of a bigger problem that’s starting to become a much bigger reality for most people,” Ellen Goddard, an agricultural economist at the University of Alberta, told CTV National News.

Low yields of mustard seeds this year could lead to a shortage for the popular hot dog and hamburger condiment.

Tan can be used in the meantime. saidShe has a plan to stockpile red sauce before it becomes more difficult to find.

“We need to order extra, because customers like Sriracha,” she said.

Tan saidThe restaurant is stocking Sriracha and hoping that the shortage does not affect their supply. But she also saidShe has a back up plan.

“In case [of] no Sriracha, I’m going to make my own chili sauce,” she said. “… Because customers like spicy.”