With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, various types of mooncakes with different flavors are available on the market for consumers to choose from. Consumers and food manufacturers are advised to pay close attention to the following food safety tips so as to enjoy mooncakes safely while celebrating the festival:

Safety Tips to the Industry

1.       Purchase fresh and wholesome ingredients from reliable suppliers;

2.       Store ingredients under appropriate environment and at proper temperature; apply the ‘first-in first-out’ principle for food storage;

3.       Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes, which do not undergo baking process at high temperature, tend to be more vulnerable to microbiological contamination. Hence, manufacturers must keep snowy and ice-cream mooncakes in strict hygiene condition and under stringent temperature control during manufacturing, transportation and storage.

Safety Tips to the Public

1.       Purchase mooncakes from licensed and reliable shops;

2.       When purchasing mooncakes, check if they are properly packaged and watch out for any unusual appearances, such as abnormal colour or moldy appearance;

3.       Check the expiry dates and make sure the mooncakes are consumed before the expiry dates;

4.       Mooncakes should be consumed as soon as possible after purchase.  If they are not immediately consumed, they should be stored in a cool dry place or according to the instructions on the package. Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes do not undergo baking process at high temperature and thus, they should be stored at appropriate temperature (snowy mooncakes should be stored below 5 ^oC and ice-cream mooncakes at -18 ^oC or below).

Lastly, consumers are advised to eat mooncakes in moderation as most of them are high in calories, rich in fat and sugar. Consumers should also remember to maintain a balanced diet while celebrating the festival.