Moon-cakes take on new meaning

Moon cakes, the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival delicacy, have hit the market with a range to suit every pocket and taste and a guarantee of quality.

This year, a rich variety of moon cakes can be found in the market. With more concern for health, some moon cake producers have turned away from the heavily oily and sweet pastry to produce light and healthy food. Shoppers can also find moon cakes stuffed with ice cream and fresh fruit.

However, moon cakes are becoming more than just a festival food. Moon cakes now appear in gift-boxes studded with diamonds and crystal ornaments with rare dainties including abalone, edible bird's nest and shark's fin. They can also come with a bottle of Bordeaux red wine or top-quality ginseng.

In Beijing, luxury goes even further with an elaborate gold-foil-decorated moon cake on sale for 9,999 yuan.

But take heart. The cost of an average moon cake won't exceed 6 yuan and the quality will be assured.

The municipal hygiene supervision office recently released a quality report on 121 types of moon cakes from 69 manufacturers in Shenzhen. Of these, 97.5 percent met national standards.

A spokesman said more attention had been paid to quality than in previous years, particularly after 673 people were sickened by contaminated sandwiches with salmonella bacteria in Shenzhen recently.

Source: Shenzhen Daily