Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the issue of mooncake safety in China receives widespread attention. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has issued a new regulation stating that starting from February 8, 2025, the use of the food additive sodium dehydroacetate will be prohibited in mooncakes. Studies have shown that long-term intake of food containing this additive may lead to damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. It is noteworthy that this additive has been used in China’s beverage and pastry industries for over 20 years.
At the same time, recent images circulating on social media show that mooncakes provided to high-ranking CCP officials do not contain any additives. This phenomenon has raised public concerns. Analysts point out that the CCP has never addressed food safety issues and has always been indifferent to the lives and health of the people. The CCP demonstrates its privileged system in various aspects from daily necessities to monopolizing power, which is the essence of the CCP. The longstanding unresolved issue of food safety is because it does not affect the privileged class within the CCP.
The National Health Commission of the CCP issued a new regulation earlier this year, stipulating that from February 8, 2025, sodium dehydroacetate and its sodium salts will be prohibited for use in starch products, bread, pastries, baked goods fillings, and other food items.
Sodium dehydroacetate, also known as sodium dehydroacetate, has long been regarded as a practical food preservative for its high efficacy in inhibiting yeast, mold, and bacteria. Due to its low cost, significant effects in extending the shelf life of food, preventing mold growth without causing off-odors, sodium dehydroacetate has been widely used in China’s food industry, including in butter, bread, cakes, pastries, egg custards, fermented bean curd, pickled vegetables, mooncakes, and various fillings.
Several years ago, a citizen in Chongqing, China, discovered that two mooncakes she unintentionally stored did not develop mold over three years. The outer packaging of these mooncakes clearly indicated the presence of two food preservatives – potassium sorbate and sodium dehydroacetate. The mooncake manufacturer admitted to using preservatives but insisted that the content did not exceed the standard, citing being “unsure” why the mooncakes did not spoil for three years.
Studies have found that long-term consumption of sodium dehydroacetate may cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, manifesting as decreased liver and kidney function, neurological symptoms such as seizures, tremors, and ataxia. In addition, sodium dehydroacetate may also lead to weight loss and chronic pulmonary edema, among other issues.
However, sodium dehydroacetate as a preservative has been widely used in China’s food industry for over 20 years.
In August of this year, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued three emergency recalls due to tests finding sodium dehydroacetate, a preservative prohibited in South Korea, in Chinese mooncakes. The recalled mooncakes all came from the Shenyang Fragrant Village Food Industry Company in China, which holds the title of “China Time-Honored Brand,” and its mooncakes are popular in the Chinese market. However, these mooncakes were deemed unqualified products in South Korea, requiring them to be returned to China or destroyed on-site.
Currently, only a few countries, including China, allow the use of sodium dehydroacetate and its sodium salts as food additives, especially in starch products, while Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea have long banned their use.
According to recent reports in Chinese media, an industry insider stated that as a seasonal food, mooncakes do not require the addition of sodium dehydroacetate to extend their shelf life. He claimed that the implementation of the CCP’s new standards reflects “ensuring public health.”
Former Beijing lawyer and Chairman of the Canada Overseas Friendship Association, Lai Jianping, believes that the CCP has never truly valued the lives and health of the people. On September 19th, in an interview with reporters from Dajiyuan, he mentioned that past incidents like the tainted milk powder in China and issues such as Sudan Red in food have harmed many people, sparking widespread public concern. However, the CCP has failed to effectively address the problem of toxic food. He believes that the relevant prohibitions issued by the CCP have never really been effective but rather serve as a continuous deception to the people.
Lai Jianping expressed that if the CCP genuinely cared about public health, it has the capability to solve these issues. However, the inaction of the CCP clearly shows its indifference towards the health of the people. He stated, “For the CCP, the most important thing has always been to maintain the safety of its political power, which is its fundamental motive.”
Chinese-Canadian writer Sheng Xue, residing in Canada, told reporters from Dajiyuan that in the past few decades, food safety issues in China have been continuously problematic, with virtually no guarantee of food safety. She believes that behind the recent ban on mooncake additives in China lies an important premise – that Chinese-produced mooncakes are globally top-selling products. However, with more media exposure of numerous safety hazards in Chinese-made mooncakes, the sales of this iconic export product have been affected. She thinks that the CCP’s current policy is aimed at regaining losses in foreign trade exports.
In stark contrast to the consumption of mooncakes containing sodium dehydroacetate by the common people in China, a recent image circulating on social media showing a picture of “special mooncakes” for high-ranking CCP officials has sparked widespread attention.
The image reveals packaging labeled as “Great Hall of the People Handcrafted Mooncakes,” with a shelf life of “sealed for 40 days, consume as soon as opened.”
The bottom of the packaging lists the ingredients of various flavors of mooncakes, including wheat flour, granulated sugar, melon seeds, black sesame, maltose, and vegetable oil, with no mention of any food additives or preservatives.
At the end of the packaging is a small line clearly stating that these mooncakes are custom-made products for internal use within the CCP, prohibiting their sale in commercial markets.
Netizens commented, “Indeed different, no technology, no harm. This is why they do not care about food safety.”
“Technology and harm” is a popular term on the internet, originating from games, referring to a new fusion created unexpectedly by technology and magic. In the Chinese food industry, this term is used to describe operators ingeniously using food additives to transform ordinary ingredients into “magical” items, vividly illustrating the “power” of food additives.
Lai Jianping expressed that although the CCP claims to “serve the people wholeheartedly,” from their various aspects of daily life to power monopolization, officials at all levels within the CCP enjoy all-round privileges. He stated that these officials, for their own benefit, do not hesitate to exploit and oppress the Chinese people, which is the essence of the Communist Party.
Sheng Xue also mentions that the special supply system of the CCP is a unique system that extends beyond mooncakes; almost all items have special supply versions. She indicated that the core interest layers of CCP officials never come into contact with these toxic foods. The reason why China’s toxic food problem remains unsolvable is because these issues do not concern the interest layers of the CCP. Officials never come into contact with these items, so the CCP does not need to solve the problem, as ordinary people are always the ones affected.