By Rosa Trieu, Forbes
Huy Fong Foods, maker of the popular Sriracha hot sauce, has been ordered by California regulators to cease shipment to stores for 30 days.
FILE – In this Oct 29, 2013 file photo, Sriracha chili sauce bottles are produced at the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, Calif. The Southern California-based maker of Sriracha has been told it can’t ship any more of its popular hot sauce to food distributors until next month because the state Department of Public Health is enforcing stricter guidelines that require a 30-day hold on the product. Health department spokeswoman Anita Gore told The Associated Press on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 that the 30-day hold is needed to “ensure an effective treatment of microorganisms present in the product.” (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
Food suppliers will not be able to restock Huy Fong Food’s three sauces, Sriracha, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek until mid-January.
The hold is needed to “ensure an effective treatment of microorganisms present in the product,” health department spokeswoman Anita Gore told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The factory has been in national media headlines in recent weeks because it’s being sued by the suburban city of Irwindale after residents complained of suffering from heartburn, asthma and nosebleeds due to the peppery fumes that are emitted from the factory.
Though the chili sauce giant was not forced to shut down, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge said the plant must immediately stop any odor-causing productions until air experts can identify and mitigate the smell.
Huy Fong Foods has seen a 20% increase in revenue nearly every year since its founding in 1980. Its sauces were manufactured in Rosemead for 30 years before it relocated to Irwindale three years ago.
Read the full story by Rosa Trieu from Forbes.
