As Mid-Autumn Festival approaches on September 25, a new survey reveals a deepening disconnect between the tradition of giving mooncakes and the reality of households drowning in unwanted pastries—prompting questions about waste, social obligation, and whether the beloved custom is due for reinvention.
A digital survey of approximately 25,000 Hong Kong residents conducted this month by Yindii, a local surplus food marketplace, has quantified what many have long suspected: the annual exchange of mooncakes has become more burden than blessing. Nearly three-quarters of respondents reported receiving more mooncakes than they actually wish to eat, while only 14 percent identified a traditional box of mooncakes as their ideal Mid-Autumn gift.
The findings underscore a widening gap between givers’ intentions and recipients’ desires—a phenomenon Yindii has dubbed the city’s “Mooncake Paradox.”
The Scale of the Problem
The survey paints a stark picture of a tradition straining under its own weight. When asked what they would prefer to receive instead of mooncakes:
- 30 percent said gift or cash vouchers
- 24 percent said a smaller box or fewer mooncakes
- 20 percent said no gift at all
The mismatch between giving and wanting extends well beyond personal preference. Nearly 80 percent of households reported being left with uneaten mooncakes after previous festivals, and 22 percent admitted to discarding boxes that remained sealed and perfectly safe to eat.
Feeding Hong Kong, an advocacy group that runs an annual “Mooncake Madness” collection drive through September 18, estimates that as many as 2.8 million mooncakes go uneaten across the city each year. Those surplus pastries are redistributed to frontline charities—but the volume underscores a systemic waste problem.
Deep Roots in Social Obligation
If so few people genuinely want mooncakes, why do they continue to exchange them by the millions? The answer lies in what the pastries represent rather than what they contain.
Mooncakes function less as a food item and more as a social currency: companies give them to employees and clients, relatives present them during reunion gatherings, and neighbors exchange them as gestures of goodwill. Because the act of giving matters more than the gift itself, households often receive multiple boxes from different sources within the same week—far exceeding what any family could reasonably consume before the pastries spoil.
“Giving more mooncakes doesn’t necessarily make the gesture more meaningful,” said Mahima Rajangam Natarajan, co-founder of Yindii. “The real issue lies in the gap between how many are given, how many people actually want, and what happens to the surplus.”
A Broader Waste Crisis
The seasonal glut of unwanted mooncakes compounds an already severe food waste problem in Hong Kong. According to the city’s Environmental Protection Department, approximately 3,001 tonnes of food waste were sent to landfills daily in 2024, accounting for nearly 30 percent of municipal solid waste.
The environmental toll of discarded mooncakes—with their packaging, preservatives, and carbon footprint from production and transport—adds another layer to a challenge that activists say demands systemic solutions rather than individual good intentions.
Emerging Solutions
Despite the grim data, the survey offers reason for cautious optimism. When asked whether they would purchase good-quality, safe-to-eat surplus mooncakes from hotels, bakeries, or retailers at a discount, 36 percent said yes outright and another 45 percent said they might—meaning 81 percent did not rule it out.
That openness has already spawned a modest secondary market. Platforms like Yindii allow bakeries, hotels, and cafés to sell unsold mooncakes and other food as discounted “surprise bags” rather than discarding them. The company reports that its Hong Kong community has rescued more than 500,000 meals in total and helped merchants recover approximately HK$17 million in value from food that would otherwise have gone to waste.
“Price, not just environmental appeal, is ultimately what gets shoppers to buy surplus food,” Natarajan noted.
Retailers are also adapting. This year’s mooncake offerings from Hong Kong hotels and bakeries increasingly feature smaller formats, miniature portions, and gift sets with reusable packaging—from boxes of four or six mini egg-custard mooncakes to lantern-style tins meant for long-term keepsake use. Novelty collaborations, low-sugar recipes, and non-mooncake alternatives such as chocolate, palmiers, and tea sets have also proliferated, offering gift-givers ways to honor the occasion without adding to the stockpile.
The Future of a Tradition
Mooncakes remain deeply embedded in Hong Kong’s Mid-Autumn Festival identity, and few expect the custom to vanish. But the survey results signal a possible redefinition of what generosity looks like going forward: smaller quantities, more flexible gift options, and systems for channeling surplus before it becomes waste.
As Natarajan put it, the challenge for this festival and those to come is preserving the spirit of reunion, appreciation, and generosity—without the mounting pile of boxes nobody asked for.