Judge Sides With City in Battle Over Sriracha Fumes

Orders Huy Fong to do something about the smell
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 27, 2013 7:25 AM CST
Judge Sides With City in Battle Over Sriracha Fumes
This Tuesday Oct. 29, 2013 photo shows the Huy Fong Foods factory for making of Sriracha chili sauce in Irwindale, Calif.   (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

It looks like the residents of Irwindale, California, will cease to be plagued by Sriracha fumes. A judge in Los Angeles has ordered the Huy Fong Foods hot sauce plant to halt any operations that produce said fumes, the LA Times reports. It's not clear what operations will be affected or how it will impact the world's supply of the beloved sauce, but the judge didn't order the factory to shut down completely.

The ruling, which follows an earlier ruling siding with Huy Fong, could take effect as soon as today. Irwindale residents complained of heartburn, nosebleeds, asthma flare-ups, and other problems they blamed on the spicy scent from the plant; the judge acknowledged there's a "lack of credible evidence" the odor is actually to blame, but described it as "extremely annoying, irritating, and offensive to the senses" to such a degree that it can be considered a public nuisance. (More Sriracha stories.)

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