Guidelines for Inspection and Certification of Mooncake Products

April 24, 2026

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and mooncakes, as seasonal food, have attracted much attention regarding their quality and safety. For professionals engaged in food inspection, factory inspection, and certification, it is crucial to understand the testing standards for mooncakes. The following discusses the key points of quality control for mooncakes from aspects such as label marking, supervision and sampling inspection items, and packaging standards.
I. Labeling Specifications for Mooncakes (Verification and Certification Basis)
According to the "Reply from the Supervision Bureau of the Ministry of Health on the Labeling Issues of Mooncakes" (No. 298 of 2012 from the Supervision Bureau of Food Safety of the Ministry of Health) and GB 7718-2011 "General Rules for Labeling of Prepackaged Foods", the labels of mooncakes should meet the following requirements:
If a sales unit contains different varieties of food, multiple individual packages that can be sold separately, each individual package must comply with GB 7718 and label all mandatory contents.
If the individual packaging is not sold separately, it can be uniformly marked on the sales unit packaging. The individual packaging inside does not need to be marked again.
Nutrition labels should be implemented in accordance with GB 28050-2011 "Food Safety National Standard - General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" and its revised question-and-answer section.
During the inspection process, the inspectors should carefully check whether the label information is complete and accurate; during the factory inspection, they need to verify whether the enterprise has a label compliance review process in place.
II. Supervised Sampling Items (Core of Inspection and Certification)
According to the "2017 Food Safety Sampling Plan and Requirements" issued by the former Food and Drug Administration (mooncakes are considered high-risk products), the sampling items for mooncakes cover the following inspection indicators, which are also the items that must be tested in product certification:
Heavy metal: Lead (measured in Pb)
Physical and chemical indicators: Acid value (based on fat), Peroxide value (based on fat)
Food additives: Benzoic acid and its sodium salts, sorbic acid and its potassium salts, sodium cyclamate, saccharin, aspartame, residual amounts of aluminium, propionic acid and its sodium salts/calcium salts, sorbic acid, nata 58, trichlorosucrose, neotame, ascorbyl palmitate (TBHQ), etc.
The proportion of combined use of preservatives: The sum of the respective usage amounts as a proportion of the maximum usage amount.
Microbial indicators: Total colony count, coliform bacteria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, mold
Illegal additives: Dimethyl fumarate
The above-mentioned items are the key indicators for the inspection of mooncakes. Enterprises should entrust qualified third-party certification institutions to conduct regular tests. During the inspection process, it is necessary to verify whether the test reports are complete and qualified.
III. Packaging Standards and Restrictions on Excessive Packaging (Inspection and Factory Audit Requirements)
The packaging of mooncakes should comply with the following standards and regulations. The inspectors need to check whether the packaging meets the requirements, and during factory audits, the enterprises' packaging design and procurement should be reviewed to ensure they comply with the regulations.
Main criteria:
GB 23350-2009 "Requirements for Limiting Excessive Packaging of Goods - Food and Cosmetics"
GB/T 31268-2014 "General Rules for Limiting Excessive Packaging of Goods"
Related regulatory documents:
"Notice on Further Regulating the Packaging of Mooncakes to Save Resources and Protect the Environment" (Reform and Development Commission of Economy and Resources Planning Department [2008] No. 2125)
"Notice on Regulating the Prices, Quality, Packaging and Bundled Sales Behaviors of Mooncakes" (Document No. 33 of 2005) issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the State Quality Supervision Bureau
Notice of the General Office of the State Council on the Work of Reducing Excessive Packaging of Commodities (State Council Document No. 5 [2009])
Local regulations (such as the "Interim Measures for the Management of Restricting Excessive Packaging of Goods in Guangzhou City")
During the inspection process, it is necessary to measure the packaging void ratio, the number of packaging layers, and the cost proportion to ensure that they do not exceed the limits. The factory inspection should also review whether there is an excessive packaging risk in the enterprise's packaging supply chain.
Conclusion
The small mooncakes are safeguarded by multiple laws, regulations and inspection certification standards. From raw material procurement to production processing, from packaging design to factory inspection, every step cannot do without strict factory inspections, tests and certifications. By mastering these standards, the inspectors not only can ensure the safety and quality of the mooncakes, but also can bring peace of mind and health to consumers during the reunion festival.