Remember how a judge shut down part of the factory near Los Angeles that makes the fab hot sauce sriracha? Spicy food lovers freaked out over the possibility that they might have to check more than one store or buy a different brand of sauce. The nightmare is now over: huy Fong is resuming shipments.

Did the monthlong shutdown determine that the smell from the factory was not, in fact, making the residents of Irwindale, California ill? No, not yet. The part of the factory that produced the eye-burning chili stench was shut down in order to determine whether it was making nearby citizens ill, but under a normal production schedule, the company only processes their chilis for the year from October to December. That period is over, so life and sauce continue at Huy Fong.

There are other manufacturers of the sauce, and stockpiles available online for the truly brand-loyal and desperate. Trend forecasters say that thanks to Subway, sriracha will be metaphorically hotter than ever in 2014, so look forward to more fast-food promotions and flavored products.

Sriracha Heating Up 2014 Just in Time for Polar Vortex [ABC News] (via Foodbeast)

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