In 2022, Huy Fong Foods made the horrifying announcement of a shortage of their Sriracha, Chili Garlic, and Sambal Oelek sauces. Now into its second year, foodies are going to extreme lengths to get their hands on that red rooster. Including paying $30+ on eBay and stealing it from restaurants.
This shortage came from a mixture of factors, but mostly adverse weather conditions and a weak chili pepper crop. “Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” a Huy Fong spokesperson said in a statement last year to Food & Wine. “We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has [been] caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest. We hope for a fruitful fall season and thank our customers for their patience and continued support during this difficult time.”
In April the company announced it is still facing a significant lack of “raw materials.” Which is exacerbating this “unprecedented inventory shortage” and pushing it into a second year.
“Although some production did resume this past Fall season, we continue to have a limited supply that continues to affect our production,” Huy Fong Foods said in a statement. At this time, we have no estimations of when supply will increase. Because we do not sell directly to retail/market levels, we cannot determine when the product will hit shelves again and/or who currently has the product in stock […] We are currently working on trying to avoid future shortages.”
Currently, nationwide retailer, Target does not have the product on their website. Though it can still be purchased via Amazon and Walmart through 3rd party sellers. As well as eBay where a single bottle of Sriracha has already sold for $39.95. But some current listings have it going for as much as $59.99.
Some Sriracha fans have even allegedly turned to petty crime to get their hand on some. Mariel Edwards, operations manager for Senor Sisig, a Filipino fusion restaurants in San Fransico claims bottles “literally disappear.” “We haven’t seen people take them, but there is a bottle that will go missing,” she explained. “It’s funny how, like, they’ll just not be on the table anymore.”
While other Sriracha lovers try to keep things above board by asking if they could buy some from the restaurant.
At one point last summer things got so desperate some restaurants offered free food in exchange for unopened bottles. “We need Sriracha (Huy Fong Foods Brands ONLY),” LA-based restaurant Bé Ù wrote on Instagram. Anyone who brought in an unopened 28-ounce bottle got a coupon for a free banh mi, popcorn chicken, or spring rolls. And according to an update on the post it seems the promotion worked.
