Out of season, clearance sale, super cheap moon cakes
These days, on many streets in Hanoi, it is not difficult to see cake stalls with signs saying "high-end moon cakes on sale" being sold everywhere at "rock-bottom" prices, but there are still few buyers.
According to the Economic & Urban reporter, at a flea market in Dan Phuong district, Hanoi, unsold moon cakes (sticky rice cakes, baked cakes) are sold at the same price of 25,000 VND/piece (large size - 400 grams).
Although the product information, manufacturer, expiration date, and label on each cake are vague, general, of unknown origin, and do not guarantee food safety, consumers here do not care much and still "carelessly" choose because everyone likes cheap prices.
According to the explanation of the traders, these super cheap moon cakes are mostly “near-expiry” goods. Because the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, the companies are selling off their products, however, the products are still guaranteed to be safe and of good quality when they reach consumers.
Head of the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department Dang Thanh Phong said that during the recent Mid-Autumn Festival, the city's food safety inspection teams inspected input materials, facilities, the entire production and processing process, personal hygiene, and knowledge of moon cake makers...
In addition, the delegations also inspected legal documents, business conditions, and production of moon cakes. The inspections showed that many places have seriously implemented regulations on ensuring hygiene and food safety.
“However, the most worrying thing now is that “super cheap” moon cakes of unknown origin and no expiration date are being sold freely on the market, especially on the online market, which is very difficult to control,” Mr. Dang Thanh Phong stated.
Be careful with super discounted cakes
Referring to this issue, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former staff of the Institute of Biotechnology - Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology said that moon cakes need to be preserved in standard temperature conditions to avoid spoilage during the expiration date.
However, nowadays, most mooncake stalls are exposed to the sun all day long. If not properly preserved, it will affect the quality and health of consumers. Mold can grow in these conditions.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh recommends that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, consumers should pay attention to the types of cakes that are being “cleared”, check for expiration dates, signs of spoilage, and carefully observe the cake shell to detect mold. Because the risk of poisoning from moldy cakes is extremely high.
“To ensure safety, consumers should be cautious with super discounted cakes, should not be greedy for cheapness but the first criterion must be safety for health. When buying, we use our senses to check the color and taste of the cake to avoid buying expired or nearly expired cakes, spoiled, moldy and poor quality cakes” - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh noted.
Sharing the same opinion, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam - former Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition said that to produce a moon cake, especially mixed-filling cakes, there will be many different ingredients such as: flour, sugar, eggs, meat, sausage, lap xuong...
However, with cakes sold at very cheap prices, it is difficult to ensure the quality. If the cake production facilities do not ensure hygiene, it can create favorable conditions for microorganisms to grow and develop, causing harm to health. Therefore, moon cake producers need to comply with food safety criteria, factories, raw materials, clear expiration dates, etc.
“Currently, there are many types of cheap moon cakes on the market. People need to be vigilant about possible toxic elements such as preservatives, toxic colorants, and internal damage,” Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam noted.
The Food Safety Department, Ministry of Health recommends that consumers should store purchased cakes according to the instructions on the manufacturer's product label and keep them in a clean place, covered to avoid dust, rain, sun, and insects. In particular, people should only eat cakes that are within their expiration date, not deformed, the packaging is not torn, has no unusual color, and does not have a strange smell.
Everyone should remember to wash their hands before cutting, dividing and eating moon cakes; should not eat too many moon cakes and foods rich in protein, fat and sugar often found in cakes to avoid food absorption disorders.
Moon cakes are easily spoiled if left for too long at temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius or higher. This temperature is the ideal condition for bacteria to grow and easily penetrate the cake, causing it to spoil and become moldy.
For handmade moon cakes, preservatives are usually not used, so this type of cake only has an average shelf life of 7 days. Specifically, baked cakes have a shelf life of 7 days, while sticky rice cakes have a shelf life of 4 days.
For ready-made moon cakes, thanks to a small amount of preservatives (these substances must be on the list permitted by the Ministry of Health), they usually have an average shelf life of about 3 months.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former staff of Institute of Biotechnology - Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/banh-trung-thu-dai-ha-gia-can-date-can-trong-van-de-an-toan-thuc-pham.html
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