A popular cream bun sold in South Korean convenience stores has been recalled after customers complained of a “foul” smell, with investigation revealing that durian flavouring had been mistakenly used instead of melon.
The issue first surfaced after customers began posting complaints on social media about the smell of the product, saying it was like “sewer or human faeces,” according to Channel A.
“It smells like weird poop,” one user wrote, reported Hankyoreh. Another claimed their cat usually loves bread but “buried it in the floor with its paws” and treated it like a “toilet”.
“It smelled a bit like poop? Or a chemical smell? Even after sealing the bread, the smell lingered in the room, which was shocking,” wrote another.
Melon cream buns are soft, sweet breads filled with flavoured cream and widely sold through South Korea’s convenience stores as an inexpensive, ready-to-eat snacks.
While many initially assumed the buns had spoiled, the source of the smell turned out to be something else entirely. Foodcore, the company that manufactures the product, traced the error back to the production facility, where it turned out that the issue wasn’t quality control but mislabelling.
The company that supplied the essence used to flavour the cream had labelled durian essence as melon, which led to it being used in the bun.
“The melon-flavoured ingredient supplied to our company was, due to a mislabelling error by the flavour manufacturer, actually provided as durian flavouring rather than the melon flavour stated on the label,” the company said in an apology.
“As durian flavouring is based on a melon-like profile with an added characteristic fermented odour, we failed to adequately identify the raw material during the verification process and used it. We feel a deep sense of responsibility toward customers who trusted and purchased our product.”
Known as the “king of fruits” in some regions, durian is a tropical fruit grown widely across south-east Asia, particularly in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is notorious for its intensely pungent smell, though many love it for its sweet taste and custardy texture.
Durian is banned on public transport systems such as Singapore’s subway system, where carrying it can result in fines, and is also prohibited in many hotels and by several airlines across the region.
By the time the issue had been identified, around 20,000 units of the buns had already been distributed through convenience stores across the country before being pulled from shelves in a full recall.
“We completed measures to stop sales and recall the 20,000 distributed products last week, and processed refunds and exchanges for customers,” the store told Hankyoreh.
They confirmed that products with the correct flavour were back on sale.
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