Beware of moon cakes of unknown origin

(Baonghean) - In order to ensure health and prevent food poisoning for consumers, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has planned to carry out an inter-sectoral inspection and examination of food safety during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the province...

For more than a month now, the mooncake market in Nghe An has been bustling. On the main roads, kiosks of familiar brands such as Bibica, Kinh Do, Hai Chau, Hai Ha have been set up and are flooding large and small grocery stores. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, owner of a grocery store on Ha Huy Tap Street (Vinh City) said: This year, mooncake products are very diverse in design with different prices, ranging from 120,000 VND/box (4 pieces) to 2,200,000 VND/box. To ensure the cakes sell well and are safe for customers, we only import branded cakes...

The interdisciplinary inspection team inspected Huong Phuc cake production facility.

In addition to the "genuine" moon cakes with clear origin and long-standing brands, Vinh City currently has many types of cakes floating around. According to our survey in the communal house area on the right of Vinh market, there are many stalls selling moon cakes in large quantities. The moon cakes and baked cakes have quite eye-catching packaging with a variety of types, origins and prices. The cheapest is 20,000 VND/box; the most expensive is around 100,000 VND/box. However, the parameters on the packaging such as production date, expiry date, and company address are quite vague. On September 12, after trying to buy a box of moon cakes, we went to the production address printed on the packaging in Cua Nam ward (Vinh City), but this address does not exist in reality.

Faced with that situation, consumers seem to be lost in the maze of moon cakes, many housewives have chosen to make cakes at home for everyone in the family to eat, both delicious and safe. Ms. Dinh Thi Anh Hoai, residing in Quan Bau ward (Vinh city) said: Making moon cakes is not too difficult, just need salted duck egg yolks, flour, baking powder, milk powder, red beans, lard, sugar, butter, chicken eggs and a mold, an oven to produce a batch of delicious cakes. The whole family making and enjoying them together is the true meaning of Tet reunion. Ms. Hoai's thinking is also the common trend of many women today. However, many types of ingredients to make moon cakes: pumpkin jam, Chinese sausage, lotus seeds, sugar water, flavoring water, flours... in large quantities are sold in grocery stores and kiosks in Vinh market, all of which are poorly preserved, most of which do not have information about origin, expiration date... Therefore, if housewives do not know how to choose, even if they make moon cakes themselves, they cannot ensure food safety and hygiene.

A pair of moon cakes costs 50 thousand dong and is sold at Vinh market.

To ensure food safety and hygiene for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, on September 8, 2015, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 4009/QD-UBND.VX to establish an interdisciplinary team including the Departments of Industry and Trade, Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Provincial Police, and Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department to conduct inspections of food safety and hygiene during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the whole province. Accordingly, the interdisciplinary team will conduct inspections of compliance with legal regulations on ensuring food safety and hygiene of establishments producing, processing, trading, importing food and catering services such as: certificates of food safety eligibility according to regulations, health certificates, food safety and hygiene training certificates of people directly involved in food processing, and the origin of food additives. In addition, the delegation will focus on inspecting food items consumed a lot during the Mid-Autumn Festival such as cakes, candies, jams, sausages, beer, wine, soft drinks...

According to the plan to implement inter-sectoral inspection and examination of food safety, districts, cities and towns will also establish inspection and examination teams in the areas under their management authority. Through inspection and examination activities, violations will be promptly detected, prevented and strictly handled, contributing to the good work of caring for and protecting the people... The inter-sectoral inspection and examination teams of the province and localities will regularly send quick reports on the results of inspection and examination to the Department of Food Safety and Hygiene, Department of Health. Doctor Dao Trong Dung clearly stated the general spirit: The inspection teams will take samples, test and strictly handle according to the law. Any production unit that does not perform well, in addition to being fined, we will also warn and name them in the mass media.

Although the authorities have increased inspection and control, with increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting, fake and poor quality cakes will certainly appear. In order to ensure health and prevent food poisoning for consumers, especially children during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when buying and using food products, people should go to reputable stores, choose products with clear origin, as well as pay attention to the ingredients, food materials, and expiration date; especially when detecting violations, they should immediately report to the authorities for timely handling and prevention for the health of the whole community.

Thanh Son