Mooncake alert for weight-watchers

Mid-Autumn revellers were warned yesterday they could risk their health by gorging on mooncakes, many of which are more fattening than Mars bars.

Consumer Council testing on 10 brands of the traditional sweet found even those claiming to be 'healthy' or low-sugar were loaded with fat and calories.

Publicity and community relations committee chairman Dr Lo Chi-kin said weight watchers and the health-conscious should be aware that while mooncakes were small, they were packed with artery-clogging cholesterol and fattening calories.

'People wouldn't normally think of a mooncake as a meal - it's more of a dessert - but if you're taking about half a double-egg-yolk mooncake you're getting one-third of your daily allowance of fat.' The brands tested had between 15 per cent and 28 per cent fat. Mars chocolate bars are 18 per cent fat and candy-covered Smarties 17 per cent.

The mooncakes were also all high in calories, ranging from 351 to 460 calories per 100 grams. One brand of vegetarian double-yolk cakes, 'Eastern Monastery', had 922 calories in each mooncake - the equivalent of 3.5 Mars bars.

The council said 'healthy' mooncakes could not be considered health foods as they had the highest carbohydrate levels.