The full moon of the 8th lunar month is approaching, the moon cake market in Ho Chi Minh City and many localities has become bustling. However, besides products with reputable brands, it is not difficult to see floating moon cakes, sold everywhere on social networks or sidewalks at surprisingly cheap prices.
At some traditional markets in Ho Chi Minh City, many stalls selling vegetables, fruits, and candy often sell moon cakes without labels, priced from only 8,000-15,000 VND/piece. The seller often advertises as imported cakes or homemade cakes.
The common point of these types of cakes is that the packaging only has a sketch of information about the ingredients including flour, sugar, eggs, additives... without any information about the production facility, shelf life...
Ms. Hong - a fruit seller near Ban Co market said that Trung cake has been made from people she has known for many years, so she can rest assured about the quality.
"I import this cake directly from the maker, so it is much cheaper than branded cake. Buyers are mainly workers and students, few people care about packaging or inspection" - Ms. Hong shared.
Meanwhile, many consumers are worried about the quality and origin of products from homemade cakes.
"I once ordered a few boxes of cakes online to give to relatives, but when I opened them, some were moldy, some had water-flowing fillings. Therefore, I always wonder about hygiene, it is not clear whether the processing process is really guaranteed or not" - Mr. Nguyen Van Hai (residing in Tam Binh ward) shared.
Social networks such as Facebook and Zalo are also becoming an online market for moon cakes with workplace labels with all kinds of designs and types. The cakes advertised to weigh about 200-300 grams have a selling price of only 40,000-70,000 VND/piece, less than half of the cakes of major brands. The common point is that most of the products are only guaranteed by the seller for their deliciousness, cleanliness and food hygiene and safety.
Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan - Director of the Department of Food Safety of Ho Chi Minh City said that the unit has a plan to prevent food poisoning during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. The Department will establish inspection teams (replacing previous inspection teams) to conduct work and supervise the activities of moon cake production facilities. The authorities will pay special attention to small-scale moon cakes and "homemade cakes". Because this type of cake produced in this category is considered to pose a great risk to food safety.
According to the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, the situation of floating moon cakes for sale has improved. However, the risk still comes from two sources: smuggled cakes and trademark fraud. Ms. Lan admitted that every year, the authorities take samples for testing, but the risks from smuggled products still exist.
