Fate of SoCal Sriracha Factory Still Unknown

The Irwindale City Council will hold a public hearing to determine whether the factory for Huy Fong Foods, the maker of Sriracha hot sauce, is a public nuisance.

The Sriracha saga continues.

The Irwindale City Council has now scheduled a public hearing to consider whether Huy Fong Foods, The Southern California-based maker of Sriracha hot sauce, is a public nuisance.

READ: SoCal City Sues Makers of Sriracha for Plant's Stench

"(The hearing is) basically for City Council to consider whether or not there are a set of folks that are are being bothered by the odor still," City Attorney Fred Galante said.

A judge had ordered the plant to partially shut down in November after complaints from residents about odor emanating from the facility.

READ: Judge Orders Partial Shutdown at Sriracha Plant

"We had received a tremendous amount of complaints, not just from residents here, in neighboring city of Baldwin park as well as some businesses," Galante said.

Galante added that the city of Irwindale does not want the Huy Fong Foods plant to leave the San Gabriel Valley city.

"We’ve been happy with them, we just want to make sure they operate in a way that’s responsible and that doesn’t cause harm to others," Galante said. "We still welcome them coming to the table and having a cooperate discussion so we can understand what they plan to do to address the issue."

READ: Texas Councilman Has Hot Offer for Sriracha

If Huy Fong Foods is declared a public nuisance, the move will legally force the company to find a solution, according to Galante.

"At the height of the chili grinding season, the odor was so strong that it would really be difficult to be outside. A business should not be able to affect people that way," Galante said.

Galante also said that a strong garlic odor was reported on Tuesday.

The public hearing is scheduled for Feb 26.

READ: Sriracha Shortage? Health Dept. Guidelines Block Shipments of Popular Hot Sauce

Officials say that if the issues are fixed before the public meeting, the meeting will be cancelled.

Huy Fong Foods had moved their plant to Irwindale two years ago because of an increase in demand for their hot sauce.

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