Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the grocery store to find Huy Fong Sriracha, Sambal, and Chili Garlic Sauce, another shortage is on the way. According to recent news, the jalapeno chilis from their suppliers are not ripe enough and the company has cancelled all orders from May 6th forward. Huy Fong put out a letter to the companies it supplies with the following statement:
After reevaluating our supply of chili, we have determined that it is too green to proceed with production as it is affecting the color of the product. We regret to inform you that we have decided to halt production until after Labor Day, when our next chili season starts.
So why is this happening, and how is it that other companies continue to put out their own Sriracha sauces while Huy Fong is leaving the shelves bare? Well, it all goes back to a financial dispute with California-based supplier Underwood Ranches which had been growing chili peppers for Huy Fong for decades. That ended up in court with Huy Fong charged with breach of contract, and the Sriracha producer switched to other suppliers in Mexico for its chili peppers. But a drought followed cutting off supply and there have since been other complications with getting a steady supply of the peppers needed for that spicy sauce with the rooster on the bottle that everybody knows so well.
Over the past couple of years, we have seen only a limited supply of the Huy Fong sauces in stores (sometimes none at all), and the newer batches have lacked the expected bright, scarlet color. That is because the chilis have not been ripe enough, and apparently that is why the company is delaying production this Summer. You would think that by now Huy Fong might have tried to reconcile with Underwood Ranches since they were so reliable for so long, but no. And Underwood is now producing their own Sriracha Sauce (watch for an upcoming review of that).
Huy Fong sauce is already getting harder to find in the stores, apparently because the word got out about the impending shortage. Currently, my local HEB has a limit of one Huy Fong product per customer, and other stores may be doing the same. I have provided suggestions on Sriracha substitutes over the past year, and I will be starting that up again now that it will be hard to find. I will also be going out to buy several bottles of the Chili Garlic Sauce because that is the hardest one to replace. Feel free to suggest your own Huy Fong substitutes in the comments below and check back at this site on a regular basis for updates on availability.
Five Sriracha substitutes that are in stores now. Read