Bustling moon cake market

The moon cake market started quite early this year. From around mid-August, on the main roads of Phu Ly city, shops, stalls, and stands have appeared to introduce and sell moon cakes with a variety of designs and types to serve the shopping and gift-giving needs of the people. To ensure food safety in the moon cake market, functional units, especially the provincial Market Management force, have stepped up inspections and handling of violations in the production and trading of moon cakes.

Variety of types and models

Bustling moon cake market — ***Customers buy moon cakes at a stall on Hoang Van Thu Street, Phu Ly City.*** Photo: Han Han

Through research, it is shown that this year's moon cake products have many improvements in design, packaging and product quality. Most famous brands such as Kinh Do, Huu Nghi, Cham Cham... have "launched" to the market a collection of moon cakes with a rich product portfolio, ranging from affordable to high-end prices, in which, popular are cakes with mixed fillings, green beans, taro, Tu Quy roast chicken, high-class bird's nest, lotus seeds, melon seeds... In particular, this year's moon cake brands focus more on promoting new products, targeting young customers with cakes with fillings such as pearl milk tea, yogurt, Chinese sausage, blueberries, pureed lotus cheese, caramel. In addition, some brands are also actively introducing to consumers moon cake products using non-energy sugar, suitable for people with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity...

According to information from businesses, the price of moon cakes this year has increased slightly compared to last year, with an increase of about 10% due to the high price of input materials. The retail price of cakes of brands ranges from 55-100,000 VND/piece; high-end cakes range from 150-250,000 VND/piece. As for the 2023 moon cake box combo, the selling price ranges from 150,000 VND to over 3 million VND per box, depending on the flavor and number of cakes, meeting many different customer segments. For example, Cham Cham moon cakes, this Mid-Autumn Festival season, this brand has caught up with the market trend when it first sold a new product, Lava egg custard, with an attractive promotion in early September of "buy 1 get 1 free". In addition, Cham Cham mooncake brand also serves a variety of products in the line of sticky rice cakes and baked cakes with ingredients mainly from agricultural products such as green beans, black beans, coconut milk, green rice, lotus, durian, taro, green tea...

As for the product line designed in boxes for the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival, the brand focuses on 4 product sets with prices ranging from 380,000 VND to 1.4 million VND/box (4 cakes or 6 cakes). Mr. Tran Hoang Dung, Manager of Cham Cham Bakery and Coffee (Le Cong Thanh Street, Phu Ly City) said: To reach more customers, this year, Cham Cham has expanded its sales system across districts, towns, and cities in the province and provinces and cities across the country such as Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Tinh... Some cake products with popular flavors such as green beans, mixed, Cham Cham are constantly "out of stock" and are regularly produced in the days leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

To attract customers, this year, Kido mooncake brand also "launched" the KIDO's Bakery mooncake collection with unique cake products, combining traditional ingredients through modern processing style, creating a collection of cakes with fillings that are loved by many people such as Alaska shrimp with black pepper sauce, King crab with Singapore sauce, Japanese scallops with XO sauce, lotus seeds with blueberry jam... In addition, KIDO also meets market demand with high-end gift collections with versions such as Special, Deluxe and President with prices ranging from 800,000 VND to 3 million VND per box with many meaningful wishes: Happy autumn, peaceful autumn, as you wish, prosperous autumn. Mr. Vu Van Toan, owner of KIDO mooncake distribution store on Hoang Van Thu Street (Phu Ly City) said: This year, KIDO's customer base is quite diverse, from young people to families and businesses buying cakes to enjoy and give as gifts. In particular, since the beginning of September, businesses in Chau Son Industrial Park (Phu Ly City) have ordered cakes in large quantities to give to employees and workers.

Strengthening product quality assurance management

In addition to famous mooncake brands, the market also has many types of mooncakes of unknown origin, produced by small-scale, seasonal establishments and households. This is also an opportunity for some small establishments and individuals to sell cheap, unsafe and unhygienic confectionery, affecting the health of consumers.

Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the General Department of Market Management, and the Provincial People's Committee on strengthening market inspection and control during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2023 and checking the quality of goods until the end of 2023, from the end of August 2023, the Provincial Market Management Department issued an official dispatch requesting its affiliated Market Management Teams to strengthen market inspection and control during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2023; proactively and coordinately focus on inspecting moon cake production establishments regarding cake ingredients, use of food additives, food processing aids, conditions to ensure food safety in production, processing, and preservation of food; inspecting business establishments, agents, and moon cake stores regarding origin, product quality, conditions to ensure food safety, etc.

From August 15 to September 15, the provincial Market Management force inspected 67 moon cake production and trading establishments. Through the inspection, 57 violations were handled, and 274 million VND was collected for the state budget. Most of the violations discovered and handled were due to moon cake businesses not posting prices; selling cakes of unknown origin... Typically, on September 6, Market Management Team No. 3 coordinated with the Economic Police Department (Provincial Police) to inspect food businesses in Luong Khanh Thien Ward, Chau Son Ward, Liem Tiet Commune, Dinh Xa Commune (Phu Ly City), discovering nearly 1,600 moon cake products without information about the origin of the goods, without invoices and documents as prescribed. According to the business owner, all moon cakes were bought on the market and resold for profit. The violating establishments were administratively fined 16 million VND and all violating goods were destroyed. Or on September 12, Market Management Team No. 3 coordinated with functional agencies to suddenly inspect 2 food business locations in Hamlet 1, Dinh Xa Commune (Phu Ly City) and Tho Lao Hamlet 2, Hoang Tay Commune (Kim Bang District), discovered 230 kg of frozen food of unknown origin, and administratively fined the violating establishments a total of 21.5 million VND.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Provincial Market Management Department, said: Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Department has directed the Market Management teams to conduct inspections of units and shops selling moon cakes under their management. Along with the inspection work, the Market Management teams also combine to disseminate and directly propagate to production and business establishments the provisions of the law on food safety, knowledge in selecting and preserving food; strictly handle violations and publicly announce the violating establishments on the mass media system to create deterrence. Immediately after the peak period of food safety inspection of moon cakes in the previous period, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Department will direct the force to focus on inspecting the recall and handling of expired moon cakes that do not ensure quality.

It can be seen that with the early "start" combined with the improvement in design and diversification of product types, the moon cake market in 2023 is quite "popular" with consumers. In addition, the active participation of functional sectors in inspecting, controlling and strictly handling violations of the law in the production and trading of moon cakes has also contributed to making the market healthy, helping people to enjoy a warm and joyful Mid-Autumn Festival.

Nguyen Oanh

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