The manufacturer of Sriracha hot chili sauce says there won't be any shortages of the beloved product, but diehards might want to stock up to be sure.
Due to new food safety procedures ordered by the California Department of Public Health, Huy Fong Foods, Inc., of Rosemead, CA, will begin holding its sauces for 30 days before shipping them to stores, effective this week.
The holding time went into effect after health officials reviewed the sauce production and found that there was no heated kill-step involved. The sauce will now be held at a specified pH level to control for potentially harmful microorganisms.
Officials emphasized they have no reason to believe any existing bottles of the sauce pose a threat, but that they introduced the new procedure as an added safety measure.
The product has been on the market for decades without any reports of food safety issues, but the law has also been around for a long time and applies to all food businesses, the health department said.
Bottles of the hot chili sauce put on hold this week will not be shipped to stores until mid-January.
Recently, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered a Sriracha plant in Irwindale, CA, to partially shut down after nearby residents complained of irritating smells and burning eyes from the plant's odor.
