BEIJING - The State Administration for Industry & Commerce (SAIC) said Sunday that 96 percent of the tested moon cakes sold by China's 281 distribution units are of standard quality.

The check was conducted on 760 groups of moon cakes collected in 20 provinces and municipalities including Guangdong, Beijing and Shanghai, a SAIC official said in anonymity.

The figure was slightly higher than 95.88 percent last year, indicating that the quality of moon cakes is stable and good, the official said.

Due to poor sterilization and sanitation, the rest of the moon cakes contain excessive amounts of bacterial colony and fail to meet the standard, the official said.

Substandard products have been taken off shelves and forbidden for sales, the official said. So far, the SAIC has confiscated 14,742 kilograms of substandard moon cakes, figures show.

The moon cake is a traditional food for the Mid-Autumn Day, which is an important festival in China, only second to the Spring Festival. The Mid-Autumn Day falls on Sept 12 this year.