Specialty Mooncakes Reinvent Export Push as Mid-Autumn Flavours Go Global

Summary

Ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival 2026, Chinese mooncake exports have peaked, with shipments to the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia and other countries and regions, and customs data showing notable year-on-year growth in export value across multiple locations. On 16 September, Suzhou-style mooncakes rolled off automated production lines in Suzhou Industrial Park, packed and dispatched overseas. After more than 250 years of iteration and upgrading, Suzhou-style mooncakes now feature new low-sugar healthy varieties and guochao cultural-creative packaging, reaching more than 60 countries and regions worldwide.

Ai Man, deputy general manager of Suzhou Daoxiangcun Food Co Ltd, said mooncake export value from the Suzhou factory has exceeded RMB 2 million this year, while the group's total exports surpassed RMB 30 million, up 20 percent year on year. The company has launched low-sugar, low-GI mooncake gift boxes and developed three major IP collaboration ranges spanning gaming, trendy collectibles and traditional Chinese style. Huizhou Shenhua Food Co Ltd reaches a daily output value of RMB 150,000 during peak season.

Since achieving its first independent export breakthrough last year, the company has steadily opened international markets. Company head Chen Longye said it has exported two batches of mooncakes, fillings and other festive foods worth more than RMB 150,000, with plans to export egg yolk pastries, mung bean cakes and other specialty baked goods. Mooncake exports must navigate differing food safety access requirements across markets, and highly seasonal festive foods must clear both standards and tight time windows.

To this end, Huidong Customs has implemented targeted training, technical trade assistance and appointment-based inspection, established a one-enterprise-one-file risk ledger for exporting food companies, and conducted laboratory testing for microbiology, food additives and other items on mooncake samples flagged for inspection. Customs offices across China have opened green channels for mooncake exports, introducing priority inspection, cloud issuance of inspection and quarantine certificates and other facilitation measures, leveraging local inspection systems to achieve fully paperless, seamless processing. Zhang Hao, director of the Weiting Office of Suzhou Industrial Park Customs, said the office will deepen the Chinese Food Going Global initiative, continue empowering food exporters with customised regulatory services to improve quality and expand markets, support companies in opening new overseas opportunities with new varieties and designs, and use small products to leverage big markets, injecting lasting momentum into steady foreign trade growth.

Commentary

China's mooncake export growth reflects a new path for the internationalisation of traditional foods. Established brands such as Suzhou Daoxiangcun have converted cultural symbols into market competitiveness through low-sugar, low-GI product innovation and IP collaboration packaging, with export value up 20 percent year on year, confirming the effectiveness of health-oriented and youth-oriented strategies. For NZ SMEs, this trend means Chinese food exporters are accelerating their entry into the local market, particularly in areas with concentrated Chinese communities, where competition in retail and wholesale channels for mooncakes and other seasonal foods will intensify.

New Zealand food importers and distributors could look at the differentiated positioning of Chinese mooncakes, such as low-sugar and cultural-creative gift box segments, or partner with domestic brands to develop products suited to local tastes. At the same time, facilitation measures such as China Customs green channels and cloud issuance have lowered export thresholds, and more small and medium-sized food companies may enter the New Zealand market, requiring local retailers to assess supply chain stability in advance. On the other hand, New Zealand food exports to China also face standard differences, and as China tightens regulation of imported food, NZ SMEs should draw on the compliance experience of Chinese companies and use tariff preferences under the China-NZ FTA framework to expand high-end dairy, honey and other advantaged categories.

Mooncake exports are not merely a trade activity but also drive the spread of Chinese baking culture, offering fusion ideas for local food innovation in New Zealand.

Keywords: mooncake exports, Mid-Autumn Festival, Suzhou-style mooncakes, Cantonese-style mooncakes, Daoxiangcun, customs green channel, Chinese Food Going Global, low-sugar mooncakes

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

2026年中秋前夕，中国月饼出口迎来高峰，销往美国、加拿大、新西兰、马来西亚等国家和地区，海关数据显示多地月饼出口货值同比增势明显。9月16日，苏州工业园区内苏式月饼在自动化流水线上打包装箱发往海外，苏式月饼历经250多年迭代升级，如今新增低糖健康新品与国潮文创包装，已飘向全球60多个国家和地区。苏州稻香村食品有限公司副总经理艾满介绍，今年以来苏州工厂生产的月饼出口货值已超200万元，集团整体出口超3000万元，同比增长20%，企业推出低糖、低GI月饼礼盒，打造游戏、潮玩、国风三大IP联名礼盒。

惠州市深华食品有限公司旺季日产值达15万元，自去年实现首次自主出口突破以来稳步打开国际市场，公司负责人陈隆烨表示，目前已出口月饼、馅料等应节食品两批次、货值超15万元，接下来还计划出口蛋黄酥、绿豆饼等多款特色糕点。月饼出海需应对各市场食品安全准入要求差异，时令性极强的应节食品既要过标准关也要抢时间窗。为此，惠东海关实施“定点培训+技贸帮扶+预约查检”，建立出口食品企业风险“一企一档”台账，对命中送检的月饼样品开展微生物、食品添加剂等项目实验室检测；各地海关开设月饼出口“绿色通道”，推行优先查验、检验检疫证书“云签发”等便利化举措，依托属地查检系统实现全流程无纸化无缝衔接。

苏州工业园区海关驻唯亭办事处主任张浩表示，将深入推进“国食出海”走深走实，持续以定制化监管服务赋能食品出口企业提质拓市，支持企业以新品种、新设计打开海外新局，以“小产品”撬动“大市场”，为外贸稳增长注入持久动力。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

中国月饼出口增长折射出传统食品国际化的新路径。苏州稻香村等老字号通过低糖、低GI产品创新和IP联名包装，将文化符号转化为市场竞争力，今年出口货值同比增长20%，印证了健康化与年轻化策略的有效性。对NZ中小企业而言，这一趋势意味着中国食品出口商正加速进入本地市场，尤其在华人聚居区，月饼等节令食品的零售和批发渠道竞争将加剧。

新西兰本地食品进口商和分销商可关注中国月饼的差异化定位，如低糖、文创礼盒等细分品类，或与国内品牌合作开发符合本地口味的产品。同时，中国海关的‘绿色通道’和‘云签发’等便利化措施降低了出口门槛，更多中小型食品企业可能进入新西兰市场，本地零售商需提前评估供应链稳定性。另一方面，新西兰食品出口中国同样面临标准差异，中国对进口食品的监管趋严，NZ SME应借鉴中国企业的合规经验，利用中新FTA框架下的关税优惠，拓展高端乳制品、蜂蜜等优势品类。

月饼出海不仅是贸易行为，更带动了中式烘焙文化的传播，为新西兰本地食品创新提供了融合思路。

关键词: 月饼出口, 中秋, 苏式月饼, 广式月饼, 稻香村, 海关绿色通道, 国食出海, 低糖月饼

Source: China Business News Network