What the Sriracha Shortage Tells us About Climate Change

Huy Fong Foods, the makers of Sriracha, announced in late April that it will be halting its Sriracha production for the next few months. The panic among spicy food lovers is nearing the pandemic levels of the toilet paper shortage. Grocery stores are beginning to run low on stock and restaurant owners are encountering a significant increase in price, one restaurant owner paying nearly $20 more than normal for the sauce. 

According to NPR, all of the chilies used in Sriracha come from northern Mexico— chilies that need very controlled conditions, especially continual irrigation. Considering northern Mexico is in its second year of a drought, the water required for this irrigation is scarce, a result of which is this year’s failed chili pepper harvest.  

Although all of this frenzy over a hot sauce is admittedly comical, it does point to the more serious concern of climate change. Paste Magazine calls the Sriracha shortage “… just one more canary in the coal mine-turned-yellow bird sanctuary,” noting that key grains in our diets, like that of corn, rice, and wheat, are likely to experience shortages in the foreseeable future too. 

The Press and Journal has a solution for this current debacle: Make your own Sriracha using locally-grown chili peppers! Although it may not be as good as the special, red jalapeños, The Press and Journal reports that shopping local is more important now than ever as the pollution from transporting food from overseas is a major contributor to green house gas emissions. 

If we don’t eliminate or reduce the impact of this potential problem, these food shortages will become more alarming. We’ll no longer be laughing at individuals stocking up to personally avoid the ramifications, but rather trying to convince society to react differently to these crises so everyone can still survive.   

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.