China's top judicial bodies have directed authorities to fully leverage the rule of law to safeguard people's rights to life and health, issuing severe penalties for those harming agricultural products.

The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate reaffirmed the mandate at the end of last month, detailing several cases to address public concerns about food safety and demonstrating their commitment to fighting related crimes.

In one case, a court in Jiangsu province sentenced a man, identified only by his surname Sun, to 11 years in prison and fined him 3 million yuan ($427,410) for using industrial formaldehyde to preserve whitebait — a violation classified as producing and selling harmful food.

Sun ran the whitebait business in Kunshan from 2018 to March 2021, knowingly using the toxic chemical to prolong the shelf life of the fish at room temperature. He earned more than 1.29 million yuan in profits by selling the fish to vendors. In 2020, he appointed another man, surnamed Liu, to assist in soaking and selling the fish. Liu was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 200,000 yuan.

Industrial formaldehyde, a toxic substance included on a list of nonedible substances and illegal additives issued by the State Council, is classified as a harmful raw material under China's Criminal Law.

"The two defendants should be severely punished, as they endangered the lives and health of consumers," the court said.

In another case, a farmer surnamed Li from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, was imprisoned and fined for selling nearly 10,000 Sanhuang chickens containing drug residue after failing to adhere to feeding guidelines.

Sanhuang chicken is a common poultry product, and breeders are expected to follow proper feeding practices to ensure the safety of edible agricultural goods, the court said.

China has ramped up efforts to improve food safety in recent years, including revisions to judicial interpretations.

A nationwide campaign launched three years ago has led to 4,545 indictments for endangering agricultural product safety, according to data from top judicial authorities.

Over the past three years, Chinese courts have concluded 16,070 criminal cases related to food safety violations, including 1,429 cases involving edible agricultural products.

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