Kaohsiung health inspectors caught a handful of festival foods breaking preservative rules — bad for a few small shops, but reassuring for shoppers since most products passed.

• Health officials tested 74 festival foods from supermarkets, traditional markets, and food shops; 70 passed.
• The 4 failures — a cake, two dried tofu products, and a red tortoise cake — all had too much preservative added.
• One case was handed to another district's health office; the other three face penalties under Taiwan's food safety law.
• Shoppers are urged to buy only what they need, stick to reputable sellers, and check packaging labels and expiry dates.
• Roast chicken, duck, fish, and rice cakes should be refrigerated quickly after offerings and reheated fully before eating.

Outlook: Inspectors say they will keep spot-checking high-risk and popular foods, with results posted publicly.