Bad news for spicy food enthusiasts: the Sriracha hot sauce factory is in hot water.
The City Council in Irwindale, the Southern California city where Huy Fong Foods produces the popular condiment, voted unanimously Wednesday night to declare the spicy smell coming from the factory “a public nuisance.”
Once the official resolution is adopted, the company will have about 90 days to fix the odor, which residents complain burns their throat and eyes, the Los Angeles Times reports.
While Sriracha has soared in popularity across the nation, spawning everything from Sriracha flavored potato chips to lollipops, for residents of Irwindale the giant chili-filled factory has been an ongoing issue since it opened in 2010.
The city sued Huy Fong Foods in Los Angeles Superior Court in October 2013, and locals have crowded the City Council chambers to protest the pesty smell, blaming it for coughing fits and headaches, as well. A judge ordered Huy Fong Foods to put a stop to the odors in November, but the pepper-grinding season had already ended, according to the Associated Press.
An attorney for Huy Fong Foods told the Irwindale City Council that the company is working on a plan of action and will have a resolution by June 1.
