UPDATED: If the Sriracha plant is forced to close, it may be time to start hoarding rooster sauce

The factory that makes the crack-like hot sauce Sriracha may be forced to close if a group of 30 residents that live near the California production facility gets their way. Some people in Irwindale, a small city near L.A. where the Sriracha plant is located, apparently suffer through waft after waft of burning pepper smells, which cause involuntary crying and pique-induced headaches. The city has asked a judge to close the factory if it doesn’t do something to control the fumes. “If the city shuts us down, the price of Sriracha will jump up a lot,” said David Tran, CEO of Huy Fong Foods, which makes the  ubiquitous “rooster” sauce. But take a deep breath (unless, of course, you live in Iwindale). It’s not time to panic—at least, not yet. The judge will rule tomorrow about whether or not Huy Fong Foods can continue to produce its 200,000 bottles per day and avoid a steep increase in price. [L.A. Times]

UPDATE: The factory has been granted a reprieve—for now. On October 31, the judge refused to grant a restraining order against the hot-sauce factory and set a hearing for November 22nd. By then, the plant will have finished processing the chili peppers it needs for next year’s Sriracha supply. The longer-term supply, however, could still be in jeopardy, depending on the judge’s ruling later this month. CEO David Tran claims that he has previously tried to filter the plant’s hot pepper smells without success.“If it doesn’t smell,” he said, “we can’t sell.”  [L.A. Times]