SHANGHAI: Mooncake producers always come up with novel ways to sell their products and this year is no different - they have taken on a stock market theme.

Jiangsu Weihe Jingqiao Food Co, based in Nanjing, has named its Mid-Autumn Festival products Running Bull, or Niuqi Chongtian, to attract customers, especially stock market traders and punters. The company has found a way of cashing in on the booming stock market without actually investing in it.

"The name implies a booming bull market, and we believe many consumers will like it, especially those who trade shares, Wu Xuerui, the company's sales manager, said.

"People all want good luck and the price is moderate. We are confident the new varieties will be in demand," Wu said.

The company has already received 50,000 yuan ($6,579) in orders from stock trading houses.

Filled with satay beef paste, the mooncake has a bull's logo on the packaging. Each cake is priced at about 10 yuan, and a gift box containing five costs up to 100 yuan.

The firm is also producing another variety called Robust Horse or Madao Chenggong, which are filled with lotus seed paste and have a horse printed on the packaging.

The new cakes will hit the market early next month.

Gu Jianmin, 52, said he would probably buy some of the cakes to celebrate the festival, although he was not in favor of auspicious names.

It appears producers this year are making an effort to win back consumers with healthy products and low prices after excessive packaging and other problems were revealed in the industry in past years.

A new rule, issued by the China Consumers' Association and the China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry last year, says that packaging costs should not exceed 25 percent of the food item.

(China Daily 08/08/2007 page5)