Could Sriracha see an untimely demise?

[Fire Me Boy!]

I'm a big fan of sriracha, so this would make me sad...

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smar...ut-down-panic/

In Irwindale, California, nose-y neighbors, sick of the supposedly strong chili smell emanating from the factory where Sriracha hot sauce is made, want the Huy Fong Foods factory shut down unless the odor can be abated. The city has filed a public nuisance lawsuit, says the Associated Press, “seeking temporary closure of the factory until Huy Fong submits a plan to minimize the smell.” CBS:

“The odors are so strong and offensive as to have caused residents to move outdoor activities indoors and even to vacate their residences temporarily to seek relief from the odors,” according to the suit.

Living next to a food processing plant is always a scented existence, and Huy Fong Foods has denied there’s a problem. But if the injunction goes through, it could spell bad news for hot sauce lovers everywhere.

The factory in Irwindale where Sriracha is now made opened just last year. At 650,000 square feet, says Quartz, the company can pump out up to 7,500 bottles of hot sauce each hour. Huy Fong Foods was started 33 years ago by Vietnamese refugee David Tran, and the company, says Quartz, has never raised its wholesale prices. If the Sriracha factory is shuttered, supply and demand may do what Tran never did. Canada might have a strategic maple syrup reserve, but if Sriracha goes out of production, there’s no emergency warehouse waiting to be tapped.

If the price of Sriracha skyrockets, where will the heat-seeking foodie turn? For the New Yorker, Lauren Collins details how chili sauces have grown into a massive industry.

Chilis have become an attractive business. According to a report by IBISWorld, a market-research firm, hot-sauce production is one of America’s ten fastest-growing industries, along with solar-panel manufacturing and online eyeglass sales.

Unfortunately, it seems, based on Collins’ account, the so-called “chiliheads” driving the hot sauce boom have been in a bid to best each other on one metric alone, Scoville units, a measure of hotness. With manufacturers racing to abandon taste for sheer burn, we can only hope the city of Irwindale and Huy Fong Foods can work out their differences before our bottle is empty.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

I can eat this stuff from the bottle.

Yeah, even Subway has their customers fooled with their version of Sriracha. It's not real.

I'm not sure what "It's not real" means in this case; there are a lot of "real" versions of sriracha.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

I'm not sure what "It's not real" means in this case; there are a lot of "real" versions of sriracha.

It's too thin. Plus, the flavor isn't there.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

It's too thin. Plus, the flavor isn't there.

I agree that most of the mainstream commercial applications of sriracha aren't really worthy of the name.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by ChiliConCarnage

I've tried Sriracha several times and just can't get into it. Everyone else seems to love it.

It's been at Noodles & co. for years but in the past 6 months-1 year it seems like every fast foot place or restaurant either has it or a dish that has it.

Might be cause you're putting it on noodles and co food?

[Sure-Oz]

You guys should try Midori Sriracha I posted on the last page ...its got so much flavor

[MahiMike]

I prefer sweet Thai chili.

[jonzie04]

i hope so, that shitnis terrible

[BigRedChief]

So did the neighbors and the plant work it out?

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by jonzie04

i hope so, that shitnis terrible

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

So did the neighbors and the plant work it out?

Looks like it had to go all the way to the Governor to get the little spat worked out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...or-california/

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Looks like it had to go all the way to the Governor to get the little spat worked out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...or-california/

The gov just asked them to talk. He offered nothing.

And you could have just scrolled up and read to find out what happened

[BWillie]

Sriracha is sickening. I dont get the fad. It is one of the most terrible things my taste buds have ever encountered

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Sriracha is sickening. I dont get the fad. It is one of the most terrible things my taste buds have ever encountered

You a ketchup man?

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Sriracha is sickening. I dont get the fad. It is one of the most terrible things my taste buds have ever encountered

Do you like spicy food in general?

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Pablo

You a ketchup man?

I actually don't use any sauce at all, but I do like spices and almost all asian sauces. I don't use mustard, ketchup, relish, mayonnaise, nothing.