Sriracha lovers feel the heat as hot sauce shortage continues

Drought in Mexico and depleting water supply in the Colorado River has led to a scarcity in red jalapenos, the key ingredient

Sriracha lovers everywhere are feeling the not so pleasant sting of the beloved hot sauce shortage, now in its second year. Drought in Mexico has resulted in a scarcity of chilli peppers - in particular, red jalapenos, the raw material of sriracha - leading Huy Fong Foods, the California-based maker of the iconic condiment, to scale back production.

It is a challenging crop to grow," said Stephanie Walker, a plant scientist at the New Mexico State University, who serves on the advisory board of the Chile Pepper Institute. Jalapenos are really labor intensive, requiring people to de-stem them by hand before they go for processing."