• U.S.

Lawmakers Drop Bill Declaring Sriracha Maker a Public Nuisance

2 minute read
By Giri Nathan

Lawmakers in Irwindale, California dismissed on Wednesday a bill that would have deemed the company behind Sriracha hot sauce a public nuisance. Three Irwindale City Council members and Mayor Mark Breceda unanimously voted to drop the legislation targeting Huy Fong Foods, Reuters reports.

“We have to keep employment in Irwindale. We have to expand. It’s good for Irwindale. It’s good for California,” Breceda said. The factory employs 70 full-time workers, 200 seasonal workers, and pumps out over 20 million bottles of the popular hot sauce every year. Sriracha is made from ground fresh chilis; the factory then uses exhaust fans to suck out the spicy air, filter it through pipes, and expel it through the roof.

Residents of the Los Angeles suburb have long complained about the pungent fumes emerging from the factory, citing headaches and irritated eyes, throats and noses. One resident likened the odor to “pepper spray.” Had the bill passed, Irwindale could have acted on its own to dispel the fumes, with Huy Fong Foods taking on the costs.

“If it doesn’t smell, it doesn’t sell,” said David Tran, founder and CEO of Huy Fong Foods, in October.

[Reuters]

Photos: An Inside Look at a Sriracha Factory

Chilies are ground in a mixing machine.
Jalapeno peppers, grown in nearby Ventura County, are crushed inside the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, Calif.Peter Bohler for TIME
Lids for Sriracha bottles flow into a large container.
Sriracha sauce is bottled on site and topped with distinctive bright green caps.Peter Bohler for TIME
The bottles for Sriracha are made and printed on site. Here, new bottles come off the conveyer belt.
Sriracha’s trademarked look includes clear bottles printed with white text.Peter Bohler for TIME
A forklift moves barrels of chili around the warehouse where they are stored until needed for processing into Sriracha, Chili Garlic and Sambal Olek—ground chilis with no added ingredients.
A forklift moves barrels of crushed chilies stores in the on-site warehouse.Peter Bohler for TIME
Uncapped barrels of chili are pumped into the mixing room.
Crushed chilies are eventually mixed with sugar, salt, garlic and vinegar to make Sriracha.Peter Bohler for TIME
Sugar and powdered garlic are added to the mixture, which is ground again into Sriracha.
Sugar and powdered garlic are added to the mixture, which is ground again into Sriracha.Peter Bohler for TIME
Bottles of Sriracha being filled. When CEO and founder David Tran started making chili sauce in Vietnam, he and his family hand-filled bottles with spoons.
Bottles of Sriracha being filled. When CEO and founder David Tran started making chili sauce in Vietnam, he and his family hand-filled bottles with spoons. Peter Bohler for TIME
Filled and capped bottles of Sriracha come off the assembly line and are organized for boxing.
Filled and capped bottles of Sriracha move along an assembly line on their way to be boxed and shipped.Peter Bohler for TIME
A machine boxes Sriracha for shipping.
A machine boxes Sriracha bottles that will end up in restaurants and on grocery store shelves.Peter Bohler for TIME
A worker adds steel supports to a pallet of barrels. The supports allow Huy Fong to stack the barrels on top of each other without the weight of the chili crushing the barrels.
A worker adds steel supports to a pallet of barrels. The supports allow Huy Fong Foods to stack chili-filled barrels five layers high. Peter Bohler for TIME

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