Sriracha lovers burnt when the producer stops production due to lack of pepper | US news

A threatening Sriracha shortage makes lovers of hot sauce feel burning, after the manufacturer of the popular spice said that sales were stopped over the summer due to a lack of chili peppers.

Southern California-based Huy Fong Inc. confirmed that their beloved products, including Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek, would be affected, according to Bloomberg.

In April e-mail to customers, the company described the pepper shortage as “serious” and related to the climate. The company collects its peppers from various farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico, and said that the weather conditions affected the quality of the peppers and exacerbated the shortage of chili peppers.

The company e-mail said that all orders submitted after April 19 would be fulfilled after Labor Day.

“Unfortunately, this is beyond our control, and without this essential ingredient we will not be able to produce any of our products,” the company said.

“We understand that this may lead to problems. During this time, however, we will not accept any new orders to be placed before September, as we will not have enough inventory to fulfill your order,” the company added.

Warm temperatures and a historic drought across the western United States have taken a heavy toll on California agriculture. The US Drought Monitor reported that the entire state was in “severe drought” from last week, with the Central Valley facing “extreme drought” conditions.

The news has left Sriracha fans burned, with some on Twitter call it a “sign of the apocalypse” and others suggesting Sriracha collector our about to begin.