China's industry and commerce market supervisor said Wednesday it had recalled 9.5 tons of substandard mooncakes before the start of the Mid-Autumn Festival which also falls on Wednesday.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) said it has found 978 out of 1,020 kinds of mooncakes sold by 400 dealers were up to the national standards in its random inspections in 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities before the festival.

The average acceptance rate of mooncakes in the markets was 95.88 percent, said the SAIC.

Quality indicators such as benzoic acid, sorbic acid, acid value, peroxide value, lead, sacchairn sodium and other ingredients of mooncakes and bacterial counts on the pastries were examined during the campaign, it said.

According to the SAIC inspection results, the mooncakes randomly inspected in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Fujian, Jiangxi and Henan all met the country's quality standards.

The SAIC said the qualified rates of mooncakes sold by malls and supermarkets in large- and medium-size cities were usually higher, while those unpacking pastries sold in rural food markets had lower rates with bacterial counts exceeding legitimate levels.

Mooncakes are Chinese delicacies traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival when families and friends gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the full moon.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact midst of autumn and at that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest.

The full moon is a symbol for family reunion thus makes the Mid-Autumn Festival one of the most important festivities for the Chinese.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2010)