Huy Fong Foods, the maker of the popular Sriracha spicy sauce with the famous rooster logo on the bottle, has been told by a judge to stop the operations that cause a smelly odor to emit from its plant.
Last month, residents of Irwindale, Calif. filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming it wasn’t doing anything to stop their small city east of Los Angeles from smelling like the hot sauce. The spicy odor was described as “annoying, irritating and offensive” and irritated their eyes and throats, reports Reuters.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O'Brien ruled in favor of the residents, ordering Huy Fong Foods to stop the operations that cause the smell. However, O’Brien didn’t go as far as forcing Huy Fong Foods to completely shut down its plant.
“Neither the city, nor the judge, was specific in terms of what has to be done to cease the odors and left how that goal is achieved up to the defendant,” Irwindale attorney Stephen Onstot said.
O’Brien’s order is just the first step for the suit, as the court continues to consider what to do next. Although there were numerous complaints about the smell, O’Brien noted that there was a “lack of credible evidence” that actually linked it to health problems. Still, according to the LA Times, he agreed that the smell is “extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses warranting consideration as a public nuisance.”
While the decision won’t affect this year’s Sriracha hot sauce supply, it isn’t known how it could hurt next year’s supply. Huy Fong, founded by David Tran, only grinds and harvests chilis for three months each year, so this year’s stock is already set.
The company did not comment on the ruling Tuesday.
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