After the implementation of the new standard to restrict excessive packaging: the price of moon cake gift box line is reduced and online “tying”
The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and this year, the mooncake consumer market has encountered a new national standard that has just been implemented.
In order to curb excessive packaging behavior and rectify “high-priced” moon cakes, the National Standard No. 1 Amendment to “Restrictions on Excessive Packaging of Commodities – Food and Cosmetics” (hereinafter referred to as the “Standard”) was officially implemented on August 15. The new standard stipulates that rice dumplings, The number of packaging layers for moon cakes shall not exceed three layers at most, and the packaging materials shall not use precious metals and mahogany materials.
After the implementation of the new “Standard”, how did the market react? Are there still moon cake gift boxes that exceed the standard? In this regard, the reporter conducted an investigation on the sales of moon cakes online and offline, and found that some online platforms still have problems, and some merchants are suspected of violating the regulations.
offline
The packaging material is free of precious metals and mahogany
On August 24, in a Hollywood store near Anshan Road in Heping District, mooncake gift boxes have been placed in a prominent position. The taste of moon cakes is described in detail, and there are samples for consumers’ reference. The gift boxes are generally packed in three layers, including gift boxes, paper boxes and internal transparent packaging bags.
In the Tianfu tea specialty store near China Resources Vanguard Supermarket, a gift box of tea mooncakes called Hantang Mingyue is exquisitely crafted, and three boxes of mooncakes are neatly stacked on a brown beam box. The overall price is 498 yuan. The middle handle part of the handle is wrapped with a golden glossy handle. Open the outer box, the inside is a carton, and the inside is a transparent packaging bag, which is also a three-layer packaging. “The gift box seems to be made of high-end material, but in fact, the material of this beam box is mainly plastic, and there are no materials such as precious metals and mahogany.” The sales staff explained.
The sky-high mooncake gift box disappears
The reporter found in the survey that the highest price of moon cake gift boxes on the market this year is generally set at about 498 yuan. The reason is mainly because in June this year, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the “Announcement on Curbing “Sky-High” Mooncakes and Promoting the Healthy Development of the Industry”. The outstanding problems exposed by the “high price” moon cakes, on the basis of insisting that the price of moon cakes be formed by the market, comprehensively use market-oriented and legalized means to promote law-abiding operation and reasonable pricing of enterprises, and promote the healthy development of the moon cake industry.
The announcement requires the implementation of key supervision on high-priced boxed mooncakes with a unit price of more than 500 yuan. It is clarified that the price of moon cakes is determined by the enterprise independently, and operators are encouraged to produce and sell boxed moon cakes with good quality and low price. If necessary, a cost investigation will be carried out on the operators. In addition, the mandatory packaging standards are strictly enforced, mixed sales of mooncakes are prohibited, and operators are required to sell boxed mooncakes not to sell other products in any form, and not to mix mooncakes with other products in the form of gift boxes.
After the announcement, in order to avoid key supervision, merchants set the unit price of gift boxes below 500 yuan, and the price reduction of moon cake gift boxes has become a common phenomenon. The phenomenon of tying in gift boxes has also been regulated. Manager Wu, a sugar and wine wholesaler in our city, told reporters that in the past few years, the phenomenon of tying in moon cake gift boxes was very serious. Shark fins, bird’s nests, cordyceps, tea, red wine and even gold bars were stuffed into the gift boxes. The value of these things is higher than the moon cake itself. , causing the price of moon cake gift boxes to continue to break through. “Now that the regulatory measures for moon cakes are in place, there are no sky-high moon cakes on the market this year.”
On August 24, the reporter saw in the Carrefour supermarket that compared with last year, the price of moon cake gift boxes generally showed a downward trend. According to the salesperson, a gift box of Guishunzhai Grand Reunion Mooncakes, which was priced at 238 yuan last year, has dropped to 199 yuan this year, which is on sale, and you can buy one get one free.
In China Resources Vanguard Supermarket, mooncake gift boxes are placed in the most conspicuous position in the supermarket. Hundreds of mooncake gift boxes from more than a dozen mooncake manufacturers are on sale, with prices ranging from tens of yuan to more than 400 yuan. No tying phenomenon has been found. . “The price of moon cake gift boxes this year is lower than in previous years, and moon cake gift boxes of about 100 yuan are the most popular among ordinary consumers.” The promoter told reporters.
In the supermarket on the basement level of Hisense Plaza, all kinds of mooncake gift boxes are stacked in the most conspicuous position of the supermarket. Brands include Meixin, Qihua, Huangyue, Guishunzhai, Daoxiangcun, etc. The prices range from one to two hundred yuan to more than four hundred yuan. One of the most expensive gift boxes is Kee Wah Mooncakes, whose price is also controlled below 500 yuan, 498 yuan per box.
on-line
Mooncake gift boxes are still tying
On August 24, the reporter searched multiple shopping platforms and found that most of the online shopping platforms have stricter supervision. The price of moon cake gift boxes is generally 499 yuan and below, and the packaging is also a three-tier standard requirement. However, there are still tie-in sales on some platforms. The reporter searched Xiaohongshu and found that some of the mooncake gift boxes launched by individual merchants were matched with red wine, tea, tea sets, etc., and they also supported customization. In order to avoid the suspicion of tying, some merchants on Taobao play word games. In the product description, moon cakes deliberately highlight the word “gift”. In a certain Tmall flagship store, the packaging design is very conspicuous called “Spanish Original Bottle Imported Red Wine Gift Box”. The price of a box is 798 yuan, including two bottles of red wine, four moon cakes and a bottle opener. The most expensive red wine gift box in the flagship store is priced at 998 yuan, which also contains two bottles of red wine and four moon cakes. In this regard, the staff explained that they are selling red wine gift boxes, and the moon cakes are just gifts.
Last week, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that it would launch a two-month nationwide campaign to rectify excessive packaging of commodities, “high-priced” moon cakes and crab cards and coupons. If consumers find wasteful behaviors such as excessive packaging, they can also take the initiative to report to market supervision departments and consumer associations.
(Reporter Liu Liansong intern Wen Yinghui)