As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the demand for cakes and sweets, especially moon cakes, has increased dramatically. In order to ensure food safety, prevent food poisoning, and protect consumers' rights and health, Hanoi authorities have been proactively inspecting and checking the food safety compliance of moon cake production and trading facilities in the city.
Smuggled moon cakes detected
In addition to moon cakes from well-known production and trading companies with a clear origin, many types of cheap cakes from unknown sources are openly sold, posing numerous potential safety risks to consumers' health.
Recently, Ha Dong District Police imposed a fine of VND96 million (US$3,859) on businesses selling moon cakes with foreign labels of unknown origin.
An inspection team from the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department inspects an establishment selling smuggled moon cakes. Photos: Tran Thao/The Hanoi Times |
Specifically, Ha Dong District Police, in coordination with the Hanoi Market Management Department, inspected a business in Mo Lao District and found 900 moon cakes of 50g each, 390 of untraceable provenance. The goods were all made abroad and the offenders could not produce any invoices or documents to prove their origin.
In particular, Market Surveillance Team No. 5 under the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department inspected, detected, and dealt with six cases of violations. Four of these cases involved moon cakes, and nearly 5,000 smuggled moon cakes had to be destroyed.
To ensure food safety during the 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival, the Hanoi Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene has set up two inspection teams. The inspection work will focus on three-star or higher hotels in the capital that produce moon cakes.
To ensure food safety during the 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival, the Hanoi Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene has set up two inspection teams to audit three-star or higher hotels in the capital that produce moon cakes.
At the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel, nearly 4,000 boxes of moon cakes with 11 different flavors were produced for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, which was approved by the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department as meeting hygiene and food safety standards.
At the Sheraton Hanoi Hotel, Executive Chef Nguyen Cong Chung said the hotel had supplied the market with around 3,000 moon cakes, mainly as gifts to thank long-time customers and to serve guests staying at the hotel.
"We always pay special attention to food safety. Therefore, the production process must be strictly controlled, and the source of raw materials used in production must have a clear origin. In particular, no additives are used in the raw materials," Chung told The Hanoi Times.
All violations dealt with severely
The Hanoi Hotel in Giang Vo Ward, Ba Dinh District had provided a full contract with the supplier to prove the origin of the raw materials used in the mooncakes. All employees involved in the production of the mooncakes underwent regular medical checks.
However, the inspection team found that the bakery kitchen area was not properly laid out and did not have a regular hygiene regime. In particular, the floor was not clean, the ceiling and walls were peeling in places, the equipment was in disrepair, and the sewage system was left open and running along the cooking area. The Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department asked the hotel to upgrade its facilities to ensure compliance with hygiene and food safety regulations.
Dang Thanh Phong, Head of Hanoi's Food Safety and Hygiene Department, inspects the moon cake production area at the five-star JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi. |
Dang Thanh Phong, head of the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department, ordered the hotel to rectify the above shortcomings as soon as possible. In particular, the kitchen area must be upgraded and cleaned regularly. The sewage area must be tightly covered to prevent and control sources of pollution. The hotel immediately replaced rusty and scratched trays and bowls at the time of the inspection.
Phong said that after nearly a month of inspection, the health department had inspected 17 out of 20 targeted hotels. "Most of them have strictly followed the procedures and regulations to ensure hygiene and food safety in the production of moon cakes. Specifically, the facilities, equipment, and human resources are all in compliance. In addition, the raw materials used to make the cakes have been certified as to their origin. The hotels have also provided legal documents relating to the production of moon cakes. However, some hotels did not fully comply with the hygiene procedures for facilities, tools and equipment".
During the inspection, the health inspectors took samples of moon cakes from hotels to test their quality. The results showed that all the cakes met the standards. From now until the Mid-Autumn Festival, the health department will continue to step up inspections and require hotels to strictly adhere to food safety regulations.
"Hotels must even have a self-control process before putting cakes on the market. Products that do not ensure food safety will be traced and recalled immediately. We always take strict action against violations and publish the names and addresses of offending establishments and the types of products in the mass media," Phong told The Hanoi Times.
For consumers, he recommends the need to provide guidance on the selection, processing, preservation, and use of safe foods. "People should only buy and use food and food additives with full labeling and clear provenance. Customers should ensure that cakes are stored in a clean place according to the manufacturer's product label. Consumers should only eat cakes that are within their expiration date, are not crushed or deformed, and whose packaging is not torn, has no unusual color, and does not smell strange," Phong stressed.
He noted that smuggled confectionery of unknown origin may appear more frequently in the run-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival due to increased consumer demand. Therefore, localities must instruct relevant functional units to step up inspections and investigations of food production, processing, and trading facilities in the area, with priority given to facilities producing and trading moon cakes, confectionery, soft drinks, and traditional foods produced in craft villages.
The big day is September 17- the 15th day of the 8th lunar month - but the moon cake market is already heating up. While the price of a box of four moon cakes at most popular confectioneries ranges from VND250,000 to VND500,000 (US$11-$20), similar products at the chains go for VND300,000 to VND800,000 (US$12-32).
