Hundreds Of Counterfeit Mooncakes Seized By Customs

Customs said they’ve seized about HK$90,000 worth of counterfeit mooncakes that were being sold as products from a well-known bakery chain.

Officials said these mooncakes, sold as those made by Hang Heung, were seized from a Chinese restaurant and a warehouse in Yuen Long.

Customs seized around 340 boxes of these counterfeits, and about 200 fake sale vouchers.

Investigators said they believe around a hundred boxes of these have already been sold.

Tse Kwok-keung, head of the Customs' Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, said the counterfeiters used the name of Hang Heung, but their packaging and designs were different.

Tse said the real Hang Heung mooncakes are sold in metal tins, whereas the counterfeit mooncakes were sold in cartons, and that the address listed on them was that of the bakery's old factory.

He said it's possible that the counterfeit mooncakes were made in the mainland to be sold as a Hong Kong product, but a small portion of them made their way into the market here.

Four people were arrested over this on Friday, including the owner of the restaurant and a 77-year-old man.