Latest quality checkups show 99.5 percent of China's moon cakes are up to scratch, the nation's top quality watchdog said on Tuesday.

Moon cakes are special snacks Chinese people eat at the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival on Aug. 15 in the lunar calendar each year. The festival falls on Sept. 25 this year.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said it has checked a total 425 types of moon cakes made by 378 firms in 29 Chinese provinces.

Those that failed safety tests were found either with excessive microorganisms and food additives, or with problematic labeling, the AQSIQ said.

The AQSIQ added it has ordered local branches to dispose the unsafe moon cakes and their manufacturers to fix the problems in a fixed period of time.

The top quality watchdog will continue to strengthen its clampdown on excessive coliform and food additives in the moon cakes in the run-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2007)