Huy Fong Foods, a California-based hot sauce company, has temporarily ceased production of its sriracha Asian-style hot sauce and other chili sauce products, after the local residents complained of the factory's odor.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O'Brien ruled out that Huy Fong Foods' plant in the city of Irwindale was claimed to have caused an overpowering odor due to crushing and processing of chili peppers.
O'Brien pointed a 'lack of credible evidence' linking the emissions from the plant to the plaintiffs health problems; however, he said the odor appears as extremely annoying, irritating, and offensive to the senses that can be treated as a public nuisance.
The judge ordered the sauce maker to immediately take necessary actions in its site operations to lessen the odors.
Irwindale attorney Stephen Onstot was quoted by Reuters as saying that the judge denied a request of ordering the facility to completely shut its operations.
"Neither the city, nor the judge, was specific in terms of what has to be done to cease the odors and left how that goal is achieved up to the defendant," Onstot added.
