Mooncakes are being promoted to appeal to the health conscious these days.
On the market are mooncakes with claims designed to create the impression that they are free of sugar or that they are healthy to consume.
Preliminary test results of the Consumer Council have indicated that mooncakes with 免糖 (sugar-free) claim, whatever that is intended to mean, are actually not without any sugar.
They contained more than 10% by weight of sucrose which is a kind of table sugar - though they had less fat and calories than the traditional mooncakes.
It is possible that the sucrose in the mooncakes may have occurred naturally as part of the ingredients of the mooncakes.
On the other hand, the sucrose may have been added in the course of the production.
For mooncakes that make 健康 (healthy) claim, the test found them to actually contain only slightly less calories and less fat than the ordinary double-yolk mooncakes.
Although in both cases these mooncakes contained less sugar, consumers with special dietary needs should nevertheless take care to avoid exceeding their sugar intake when consuming mooncakes. This is particularly important if you are a diabetes patient or if you need to watch your weight carefully.
Consumers should also bear in mind that mooncakes have a high density by weight. For instance, a quarter of double-yolk mooncake has similar amount of calories to one whole buttered cake. Consumers are therefore more susceptible to consuming mooncakes in excess.
The Consumer Council has referred the test findings to the Department of Health which is investigating the matter.
The Consumer Council wishes also to draw public attention to the potential hazards of "boiling wax", a popular game among youngsters, and chemical light sticks which may leak harmful chemicals after repeated bending.