The cost of bottles of Sriracha sauce continues to skyrocket due to shortages and issues with the supply of chili, according to CNN.
Prices for bottles of Sriracha from Huy Fong Foods range from $39.98 for a 17-ounce bottle of the sauce to around $70 for 28-ounce bottles on eBay, according to CNN. On Amazon, bottles of the spicy sauce cost up to $124 for a 2-pack.
A continuing shortage of red chilis used to make the sauce is driving up the cost for Huy Fong, according to a company spokesperson.
“Although some production did resume this past fall season, we continue to have a limited supply that continues to affect our production. At this time, we have no estimations of when supply will increase,” the spokesperson told CNN.
A drought in Mexico is also to blame for the shortage of peppers, the Los Angeles Times reported. The drought has continued for more than a year.
Huy Fong Foods did produce some bottles of Sriracha last fall but their supply is limited, the Times reported. The shortage has also affected the company’s Chili Garlic and Sambai Oelek products, CNN reported.
Huy Fong Foods goes through around 50,000 tons of chiles a year to make their sauce, the newspaper reported.
Now, Huy Fong gets the peppers from multiple sources in Mexico that have been affected by the drought and water shortages, the LA Times reported.
The company warned last summer that supplies could be low this year, saying weather conditions led to a low supply of chili peppers, according to the Today Show.
“Currently, due to weather conditions affecting the quality of chili peppers, we now face a more severe shortage of chili,” the letter read, according to the Today Show. “Unfortunately, this is out of our control, and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products.”
