Sriracha’s ongoing war with the city of Irwindale, California keeps getting more and more bizarre. The latest shot fired comes from Huy Fong Foods CEO David Tran, who has compared California to Communist Vietnam.
Tran spoke about how he escaped communist Vietnam decades ago to live a better life in the US and added, “Today, I feel almost the same. Even now, we live in [the] USA, and my feeling, the government, not a big difference.”
Sure, the Irwindale City Council has gone out of their way to repeatedly try to shut the Sriracha factory down, even declaring it a “public nuisance” last month, but that seems better than Communism.
The objection from Irwindale is that the factory produces irritants which they believe have caused health problems in the community. Those claims haven’t been substantiated to the satisfaction of Tran, so he’s been hesitant to comply with Irwindale’s demands. The dispute has already caused shipping delays and fear of Sriracha shortages or price spikes nationwide. Meanwhile, fans of the sauce keep hoping the two sides can work it and out and keep the spice flowing.
(via NPR, image my own)
- Irwindale issued Sriracha an ultimatum last month
- PBS FoodBuzz looks at the scientific and cultural impact of Sriracha
- California regulations causes a temporary shipping delay for Sriracha
