Its vibrant green top and iconic rooster logo are instantly recognisable to any chilli sauce lover.
But if you've been struggling to spot Huy Fong Foods' world-famous on supermarket shelves recently, you're not imagining things.
Sriracha stans across Australia in recent weeks to share their disappointment at being unable to get their hands on the hot commodity.
Why is there a sriracha shortage?
A shortage of the red jalapeño chilli peppers Huy Fong Foods uses as the base for its sriracha has been impacting production levels of the spicy sauce since July 2020.
The situation intensified in June last year when the Southern Californian company warned that "due to weather conditions affecting the quality of chilli peppers", it was facing "a more severe shortage" of the key ingredient.
While stock levels were somewhat replenished later in the year, that severe heat and drought across the regions where the chilli peppers are grown meant the cult condiment would once again be vanishing from supermarket shelves.
The stock issue has since flowed through to Australia, with both Coles and Woolworths' online shopping sites listing Huy Fong Foods' sriracha as "sold out" or "currently unavailable".
A spokesperson for Huy Fong Foods told SBS News in a statement that the company was "still experiencing a shortage of raw material".
They said while some production resumed late last year, they "continue to have a limited supply" of red jalapeños, which is impacting how much sauce they can make.
Red jalapeño chilli peppers are used to make sriracha. Source: Getty / Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times
When will stock levels return to normal?
At the height of production, the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, California, made around 18,000 bottles of sriracha every hour.
But due to the shortage of red jalapeños, which only grow in areas of the southwestern US and northern Mexico for four months of the year.
The Huy Fong Foods spokesperson said that at this stage, they have "no estimations" of when supply would return to normal, or when an increase in stock would flow through to Australian supermarkets.
"We are grateful for your continued patience and understanding during this unprecedented inventory shortage," they said.
Huy Fong Foods' sriracha is out of stock in many supermarkets across Australia. Source: SBS News / David Aidone
But not all hope is lost, with several social media users in Australia reporting it is still readily available at many Asian food stores.
IGA's online store also lists it as available to buy in selected locations.
