Mooncake market starts early

(Baonghean) - Right from the beginning of the 7th lunar month, the moon cake market has become bustling with the appearance of many cake products of different brands in both the popular and high-end segments. Although the moon cake season only lasts about 1 month, it is one of the products that brings high profits to many confectionery companies that do not miss this business opportunity.

Mooncakes from major brands have flooded the streets of Vinh City since the end of the seventh lunar month.

According to a market survey, the price of moon cakes ranges from 50,000 - 200,000 VND/piece (depending on the product). For high-end products, the price ranges from 500,000 VND to several million VND/box. According to moon cake traders, this year's prices are about 10-15% higher than previous years due to high input material costs and businesses' interest in improving product quality. Among the cake brands, Kinh Do is a brand that accounts for a large proportion of stores in the province with nearly 200 cake stalls of both companies and private individuals, with more than 100 stalls in Vinh City alone. This year, in addition to the familiar trapezoidal box model, Kinh Do has launched a square box model with prominent patterns and bright red color, imbued with the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Regarding the product line, the company continues to improve the product lines of golden moon cakes, baked cakes, and sticky rice cakes in the direction of reducing sweetness, creating a unique flavor for each type of cake filling. In particular, the golden crystal moon cake is a product expected to create a breakthrough when combining the high-end Mochi cake line and Snow cake with modern Japanese and Korean styles. Through discussion, the leader of Kinh Do Joint Stock Company recommended: "To protect the interests of consumers, the company does not conduct any form of moon cake business online.

Websites selling moon cakes are not distributors or direct partners of Kinh Do. In addition, Kinh Do moon cakes are not "sold at a big discount", nor do they have any policies for retailers to implement "50% off" or "buy 1 get 1 free" as advertised on the websites... As for Bibica Company, the company also launched low-sugar nutritious moon cakes to diversify its products. Accordingly, the company offers product packages with different weights of 150g, 180g, 210g, 250g and 800g, creating convenience for the needs of enjoyment, gifting, and suitable for the "wallet" of consumers.

While large enterprises focus on advertising and packaging design, local moon cake production facilities exploit local raw materials and low prices to win over consumers... Huong Phuc Food Processing Company, Bao Ngoc Saigon Company Limited and Thanh Cong Food Processing and Trading Joint Stock Company produce using traditional technology, without the need for massive marketing and advertising, but still attract attention and have a certain number of customers. Traditional moon cakes and sticky rice cakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival must not be "launched" until the end of August because the products do not use preservatives, so the shelf life is short (about 10-15 days).

This year, baked cakes with mixed fillings and moon cakes with lotus seeds are priced from 45,000 - 150,000 VND/piece, weighing from 200 - 600 grams; high-end products are from 600,000 - 800,000 VND/box. All three production facilities only produce about 200 - 300 tons for the entire Mid-Autumn Festival season. Ms. Nguyen Xuan Lan, an employee of Huong Phuc bakery on Ho Tung Mau street - Vinh city, said: "Customers look to buy big branded cakes with beautiful and elegant designs, mainly as gifts. If they buy them to enjoy, customers still choose moon cakes from reputable local bakeries... Because in addition to the price, local moon cakes still retain their traditional flavor."

In addition to design, quality, and price, customers are also very concerned about food safety issues of moon cakes. Through discussions, many shop owners said: Customers who come to the counter to buy products carefully consider information about the place of production, production date, expiration date, information about additives and preservatives of the product. Ms. Hoang Ha, Hamlet 16 - Hung Loc Commune (Vinh City) said: "Moon cakes from private establishments are also an option that I am considering because the price is significantly cheaper than that of big brands. But I am also worried about whether these cakes are guaranteed because they are only wrapped in thin plastic bags, the information is often unclear, not to mention the quality inside"... These concerns of consumers are not unreasonable when recently there has been information about some production establishments "disguised" under the name "Family cakes", "Traditional cakes" but using pre-made Chinese cake fillings, causing confusion for consumers.

To ensure food safety during the Mid-Autumn Festival, every year from around August 20 to September 20, the Provincial People's Committee has decided to establish interdisciplinary inspection teams on food safety and hygiene throughout the province. The subjects of inspection are establishments producing, processing, trading, importing food and catering services. In particular, the focus is on establishments producing and trading food items that are widely used during the Mid-Autumn Festival. “Experience in the inspection process in previous years shows that the days before the Mid-Autumn Festival are the peak time when people start buying moon cakes. That is also the time when illegal candy businesses take advantage of people's subjectivity and carelessness, mixing in smuggled products of unknown origin and unhygienic quality to profit and deceive consumers. To ensure food safety, consumers should buy products from branded companies, because they have invested in synchronous production lines and have regular inspections of production stages,” Mr. Nguyen Trong Luong, Chief Inspector of the Department of Industry and Trade, recommended.

Ngoc Anh