Fewer people are ordering mooncake in China this year. Will it be the same in SG?

CHINA: The mooncake is a staple of the Mid-Autumn festival, and one might reasonably expect that this will always be the case. In China this year, however, a report in the South China Morning Post says that early sales have so far been sluggish.

One main reason for the drop is China’s economic struggles. Sales of mooncakes — a non-essential, though deeply traditional, food item — are seen as a good indicator of how consumers are spending.

While luxury mooncake gift boxes were once in fashion, especially for corporate gifting, the trend has shifted to simpler and less expensive packaging. SCMP quoted a report as saying that while China’s mooncake sales reached 30.01 billion yuan (S$5.45 billion) last year, this year, a decrease of nearly 6% is expected, for a total of 28.24 billion yuan (S$5.13 billion).

This is bad news for many mooncake manufacturers, including those in Xintai, a province in eastern Shandong. Their products are said to make up around 1% of the province’s annual GDP, roughly 600 million yuan (S$109 million).

What about outside of China?

In other parts of Asia where the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated, however, this may not be the case. Part of the reason why is cultural, as mooncakes are traditionally given outside of China more as gifts between family members and even friends, as opposed to lavish tokens for business connections.

Nevertheless, in Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, the mooncake industry has also been influenced by different trends, such as the desire for healthier mooncakes or those that don’t need as much packaging, which is an environmental concern.

Flavours are changing as well. A CNA article from last month highlighted the new flavours of mooncake available this year, ranging from pistachio and vermicelli pastry-filled Dubai chocolate to ginger juice, Sentosa Sling, and mochi and preserved aged radish. Sounds good? Maybe.

In Vietnam, one industry expert cited consumer demand for healthier products, with some looking for mooncakes that have less sugar and more natural ingredients such as green tea and taro. A small mooncake is, after all, exceedingly calorie-dense. One such cake with lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, and lard, which is one of its main ingredients, can contain as many as 1,000 calories.

Interestingly, home-baked mooncakes in Vietnam have all but disappeared from the market, as consumers have shown reluctance to patronise mooncakes of unknown origin. /TISG

Read also: Doctor says that eating too many low-sugar mooncakes is not recommended