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Eat that mooncake faster or it may spoil
By Lu Feiran |
August 18, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MOONCAKE sold this year will have a shortened shelf life, as nearly 30 food additives are banned from use in the snack for the approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Shanghai Food Association said that under the latest amendment to the food law, additives such as edible soda water are not allowed to be put into mooncake. As a result, the shelf life of a box of mooncake will not exceed two months, where it may have lasted three to six months before.
In addition, the price of mooncake will rise about 10 percent over last year because of costlier raw ingredients, such as sugar, flour and oil.
And this year's mooncake may not look as good because food coloring is not allowed.
Yesterday about 20 mooncake producers promised to ensure the snack's quality. Manufacturers said they will use fresh, high-quality ingredients and guarantee the after-sale service for consumers.
Some markets also said they will test the mooncake before stocking it. The Lotus Hypermarket said it will test the mooncake's bacteria colonies, heavy metal content and food additives before putting it on shelves.
The Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said the city has about 200 legal mooncake manufacturers, but also plenty of illegal ones that usually provide products to small stores in suburban areas.
Officials plan to crack down on the illegal producers and carry out inspections on mooncake produced by legal companies.
A previous mooncake scandal in 2003 implicated Guanshengyuan, a time-honored food manufacturer that was caught making mooncake with expired, mildewy stuffing. The scandal aroused nationwide concern about food safety, leading to the disclosure of many more problems.
The Shanghai Food Association said that under the latest amendment to the food law, additives such as edible soda water are not allowed to be put into mooncake. As a result, the shelf life of a box of mooncake will not exceed two months, where it may have lasted three to six months before.
In addition, the price of mooncake will rise about 10 percent over last year because of costlier raw ingredients, such as sugar, flour and oil.
And this year's mooncake may not look as good because food coloring is not allowed.
Yesterday about 20 mooncake producers promised to ensure the snack's quality. Manufacturers said they will use fresh, high-quality ingredients and guarantee the after-sale service for consumers.
Some markets also said they will test the mooncake before stocking it. The Lotus Hypermarket said it will test the mooncake's bacteria colonies, heavy metal content and food additives before putting it on shelves.
The Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said the city has about 200 legal mooncake manufacturers, but also plenty of illegal ones that usually provide products to small stores in suburban areas.
Officials plan to crack down on the illegal producers and carry out inspections on mooncake produced by legal companies.
A previous mooncake scandal in 2003 implicated Guanshengyuan, a time-honored food manufacturer that was caught making mooncake with expired, mildewy stuffing. The scandal aroused nationwide concern about food safety, leading to the disclosure of many more problems.
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