Ruling on hot sauce factory raises job worries

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IRWINDALE, Calif. (AP) — A judge has ordered a plant thatproduces the popular Sriracha chili sauce
to stop emitting annoyingodors — a ruling that left some nearby residents worried about apossible loss of
jobs at the factory.Judge Robert H. O’Brien onTuesday ruled in favor of the city of Irwindale, where
Sriracha recentlyrelocated, saying sauce maker Huy Fong Foods must stop any operationsthat could be causing
the odors and make unspecified changes to mitigatethem.The company had no immediate comment, but a few
neighborsinterviewed Wednesday dismissed the complaints and worried that jobsmight be lost if the plant is
forced to close."I don’t want itshut down because I think a lot of people will lose their jobs,"
saidMarta Torres, 47. "In two years it has never smelled as much as now, butI think it’s
OK."Torres said the smell wafts into her home late in the day in an area where many of her neighbors
like to cook with spices."It’s something you can deal with," she said. "It doesn’t bother
us."O’Brien’sinjunction was issued in response to a lawsuit filed on Oct. 21 byIrwindale. It wasn’t
immediately known if the food company plans toappeal.Phone messages left Wednesday by The Associated Press
for Huy Fong Foods and its attorney were not immediately returned.Thecompany has said there is no reason to
close the plant now becauseharvest season and the subsequent grinding of red-hot jalapeno peppers —the key
ingredient of the sauce — have passed.As a result, theinjunction might not have an immediate impact on the
company’sproduction or the nation’s hot sauce supply as Huy Fong continues itsyear-round mixing and
bottling.The judge acknowledged there was alack of credible evidence linking complaints of breathing trouble
andwatery eyes to the factory. But he said for residents the odor thatcould be reasonably inferred to be
emanating from the facility is"extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses
warrantingconsideration as a public nuisance."Some residents said living with the smell is
bearable.RandallAcosta, 45, who lives in an apartment complex across the street fromthe factory, said the
scent can be strong sometimes but it makes himhungry."Why are people complaining about the chili smell
whenthis is an industrial area?" he asked. "There’s burning rubber down thestreet. There are other
dangers in this city."The lawsuit couldstill go to trial, but Irwindale officials would like to see
asettlement outside court and do not want to shut down Srirachaaltogether, City Attorney Fred Galante told
the Los Angeles Times(http://lat.ms/17SSD2h)."We’re going to try to keep having aconversation with Huy
Fong," he said, and find a collaborative way toaddress the odor problem.___Information from: Los
Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.comCopyright
2013 The Associated Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
orredistributed.

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