Prosecutors reveal 120 food crimes since 2018
As of May 31, Shanghai Railway Transportation Procuratorate had arrested 201 suspects in 120 food crimes since it took charge of prosecutions in 2018, according to a press release on Monday.
It also filed suit against 169 individuals in 79 food crimes with 151 suspects convicted in 75 cases.
Most of the crimes involved meat and dairy products, condiments, health products, wine, drinking water and snacks.
The most prominent cases featured banned clenbuterol detected in frozen beef, water-injected beef and the poisoning of livestock.
Others included weight loss products illegally adding banned sibutramine and other prohibited ingredients and adding poppy shells in soup and brine.
Food crimes involved many links, such as raw material purchases, production, packaging and sales. In recent years, with increasing efforts to crack down on sales and sources of inferior food, food crimes gradually developed into a well-organized, integrated industrial chain, prosecutors said.
Illegal food sales has also moved online from physical stores, making them more difficult to detect.
Criminals often attracted customers by setting up websites or using third-party platforms to advertise, and relied on chat tools, electronic payment, and express logistics to sell inferior food.
The cost of online sales is low and the profit is high, prosecutors said. More such crimes are being conducted by families, with members playing different roles and working in close cooperation to commit crime.
Prosecutors issue a press release on food crimes on Monday.
