Checks show 99% Chinese moon cakes qualified

HAIMEN, Jiangsu -- China's quality regulator said Friday that 99 percent of mooncakes tested met industry standards ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival that falls on Sunday.

The results were based on sample checks on 320 kinds of moon cakes produced by 307 companies across 16 provinces, said Liu Hongsheng, a senior official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Only three kinds of moon cakes tested failed, Liu said at a press conference in the city of Haimen in East China's Jiangsu province.

The disqualified moon cakes were separately made by three companies based in China's Hubei and Hainan provinces. The problems were excessive levels of food additives and over-packaging, Liu said.

Local quality authorities have been ordered to address the problems with the companies involved.

The traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of August in the lunar calendar. During the festival, family members eat mooncakes and look at the full moon, which symbolizes happy reunions.