California cherries on sale at a farmers market in San Francisco. Photo © 2017 J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue

Chilli Peppers, Coffee, Wine: How the Climate Crisis is Causing Food Shortages

Sriracha fans are a passionate bunch. 

So it’s no surprise that an unprecedented shortage of the beloved condiment would send loyalists scrambling to avoid a spiceless summer, The Guardian reports for Covering Climate Now. 

Huy Fong Foods, the southern California company that produces 20m bottles of sriracha annually, has experienced a low inventory of red jalapeño chilli peppers in recent years made worse by spring’s crop failure.

The cause? Severe weather and drought conditions in Mexico.

It’s not just chilli peppers. Mustard producers in France and Canada said extreme weather caused a 50% reduction in seed production last year, leading to a shortage of the condiment on grocery store shelves. Blistering heat, stronger storms, droughts, floods, fires and changes in rainfall patterns are also affecting the cost and availability of staples, including wheat, corn, coffee, apples, chocolate and wine. 

The climate crisis is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events – and it’s putting food production at risk.

In the Somali region of Ethiopia, at a newly established site where people displaced by the recent drought are staying, many women and children are in desperate need of food, water, and health services. Photo © UNICEF Ethiopia/2022/Mulugeta Ayene

War in Ukraine, Drought Converge to Worsen Hunger Crises in Horn of Africa

Russia’s war against Ukraine is causing global food prices to soar, worsening hunger emergencies in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia where millions of people are not getting enough calories due to harvests and livestock that were decimated by three consecutive subpar rainy seasons. 

Russia and Ukraine are top exporters of staple crops, accounting for 30 percent of global wheat exports and 20 percent of global maize exports. The prices of those crops have spiked since February. In the month following Russia’s invasion, cereal prices climbed 17 percent, according to the FAO. Wheat prices rose by 19 percent, as did maize prices. 

The alignment of drought and conflict, experts said, should be viewed as a warning sign for the future. As the planet heats up, the risk of weather disasters – droughts, floods, hail storms – in multiple grain growing regions increases.