S’pore Food Blogger Alleges Fake Mao Shan Wang Durians Being Sold at Markets; Offers Tips on How to Spot Fakes

With the durian season back for this year, there’s no doubt that durian lovers have been in heaven over the past few weeks.

(And the durian haters have felt like they’ve been in hell, but that’s beside the point.)

If you’re familiar with the durian season, you’d know that the prices of various types of durians, such as the crowd favourite Mao Shan Wang, have recently dropped.

But it seems like not all things are as they seem, with some sellers selling durians as Mao Shan Wang durians when they’re not actually of that species.

Recently, prominent local food blogger ieatishootipost uploaded a Facebook post claiming that he purchased durian that was falsely marketed as Mao Shan Wang durians.

Yup, even durians have counterfeits now; counterfeits aren’t just limited to the luxury bags you’ll never be able to buy for your girlfriend.

Local Food Blogger Bought ‘Fake’ Mao Shan Wang From Pasar Malam

On Monday (5 June) morning, Dr Leslie Tay, better known as ieatishootipost, uploaded the following image to his Facebook page.

“As you have heard, there is a durian glut, and prices of MSW have dropped! So I went to look for durian after dinner last night,” the post read.

Dr Tay then explained that the supplier he wanted to buy durian from was out of stock, prompting him to visit a pasar malam to buy durian instead.

He then claimed that the pasar malam seller sold him fake Mao Shan Wang durian at $15 per kg.

“When he opened it[,] I knew it wasn’t MSW (Mao Shan Wang)[,] but I didn’t want to kick up a fuss with the seller. I just paid for one and walked away. Those of you who know their durians should be able to identify this cultivar, right?” he added.

How to Identify Whether Your Durian is Real or Fake

And because it seems like even the King of Fruits isn’t immune to having counterfeits, Dr Tay included some tips in his Facebook post to help fellow durian lovers tell whether their durian is ‘real’ or ‘fake’.

He included a link to his ultimate durian guide and recommended that members of the public learn how to tell the difference between the different durian cultivars.

Another tip he gave was to purchase durians from legitimate sellers.

“Buy from reputable sellers and build a relationship with them,” he mentioned.

Following that, he added, “There are different grades of MSW. The cheap ones are usually small, have fewer seeds and the quality may not be as good. You get what you pay for.”

Lastly, he pointed out that many illegal durian sellers sell durians at pasar malam stalls or even their vans in car parks.

“These come from Malaysia and they don’t pay taxes and rentals as the established ones here. While it is good for the consumer, it affects the legitimate durian sellers and in the long run, is not good for the industry,” he explained.

“Please support the legitimate sellers,” he reiterated.

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More About Durian Season 2023

And for those who haven’t eaten their fill (i.e. body weight) when it comes to durian, don’t worry.

In fact, it seems like durian lovers have the rest of the year to eat as much durian as they want, for durian season will apparently last until November this year.

Based on reports by Shin Min Daily News, it seems like a consistent supply of durians from Malaysia will be available in Singapore until the end of the year.

Prices are also expected to remain low until the year ends, so durian lovers will have all the time they need to gorge themselves on durians.