What to do about The Great Sriracha Shortage of Early 2014

People are freaked out about the availability of sriracha sauce because a judge in California halted shipments of the trendy condiment until mid-January because of health concerns.

According the LA Times, the California Department of Public Health is enforcing a 30-day hold on the company’s products because no ingredients in their sauces are cooked. The idea is that the hold “helps ensure the sauce is free of harmful microorganisms for the duration of its shelf life” explains a DOH rep. While Huy Fong Foods expects shipments to resume normally following the hold, this is extremely bad news for distributors who are stuck without Sriracha.

But while the Huy Fong’s rooster sauce will be unavailable for awhile, plenty of other companies make sriracha…it’s like thinking you’ll have to go shoeless in the snow because you can’t buy Nikes for a month. For instance, try some of the other selections from this Serious Eats taste test from earlier this year. The Shark brand is even available on Amazon and will arrive in time for you to make your famous Volcanic Pigs in a Blanket for New Year’s Eve.

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