There's still a month to go before the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, and as usual, moon cakes can been seen on the racks of every supermarket throughout China. 

Yesterday, the Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce (GCC) published its 2009 market analysis and predictions for Mid-Autumn Moon Cake sales in Guangzhou in the upcoming month. The markets look rather grim for moon cake exports this season; however, the GCC also predicted that the shrinkage in export sales is expected to be compensated with an increase in domestic sales at a predicted 10% increase in total sales this autumn. 

In January of this year, the US cancelled all import licensing for poultry products. The US Food Safety and Inspection Bureau of the Department of Agriculture has mandated that food containing traces of meat, poultry and egg products need be manufactured under supervision of US food inspection authorities or trusted foreign food safety and regulation agencies before being admitted into the US. The new rule officially took effect on June 22nd, coinciding with the start of mass productions for moon cakes in anticipation of the upcoming seasonal holiday in China.

A GCC staff member commented that under the new regulations many food exports to the US are limited – Guangzhou's traditional moon cakes with salted egg yolk fillings are among the food items hardest hit. 

Aside from tightening regulations on imports, countries have also formed a “green dam” against Chinese moon cakes entering their markets. America, Canada, Spain, Australia and New Zealand all prohibited egg products in moon cake fillings; European countries have tight regulations on moon cakes with nut fillings; Japan has also added regulations about preservatives and additives used in moon cakes. France, Germany, Thailand, Sweden, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria all prohibit the sending of moon cakes by post.

Below is a survey conducted by ifeng.com, a well known Chinese portal site, on opinion regarding foreign countries banning imports of Chinese moon cakes.

A total of 27, 089 people participated in the survey.

Option	Percentage / Votes
This is obviously a measure by foreign countries to protect their own commercial interests	42% / 11386
Our moon cakes do have a quality problem	42.5% / 11525
Cultural differences are at play	10.8% / 2935
Don't know enough to form an opinion	4.6% / 1243

Source: ifeng.com

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