Tips on mooncakes storage | Test results of mooncakes (first phase) all satisfactory

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (September 5) announced the results of a seasonal food surveillance project on mooncakes (first phase). The results of the first-phase surveillance showed that all 179 samples tested were satisfactory.

The testing of the second-phase surveillance is ongoing.

A spokesman for the CFS said that samples covering traditional, snowy, ice-cream and other types of mooncakes had been collected from various retailers (including online retailers) and food factories for chemical and microbiological tests, and nutrition content analysis.

The chemical tests covered coloring matters, aflatoxins, preservatives and metallic contaminants. Microbiological tests covered different pathogens and hygiene indicators. For nutrition content analysis, the contents of sodium, sugars and total fat of the samples were tested to see if they were consistent with the declared values on the nutrition labels.

Members of the public should heed the following points in the purchase, storage and consumption of mooncakes to prevent food-borne diseases:

• Buy mooncakes from reliable outlets rather than patronising unlicensed hawkers. Check whether the mooncakes are properly packaged, pay attention to the expiry dates before purchase and eat them before the expiry dates;
• Store mooncakes according to the instructions on the package if they are not to be consumed immediately. Keep snowy mooncakes at 4 degrees Celsius or below and ice-cream mooncakes at minus 18 degrees C or below, and consume them as soon as possible after taking them out from the refrigerator;
• Use an icebox to carry snowy or ice-cream mooncakes outdoors and consume them as soon as possible;
• Wrap mooncakes properly and separate them from raw food when storing in a refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination; and
• Maintain good personal hygiene. Wash hands properly with liquid soap and running water before handling and consuming mooncakes.

The spokesman also reminded food traders to adhere to the Good Hygiene Practices. Apart from purchasing food ingredients from reliable suppliers, they should also comply with legal requirements when using food additives.

"Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes, which do not undergo a baking process at high temperature, need to be handled hygienically during processing, transportation and storage to avoid contamination and growth of germs," he said.

The CFS will continue to conduct surveillance on mooncakes and the second-phase surveillance is being conducted to ensure food safety.

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