Henan Clenbuterol Pork Case

From 2007 to early 2011, Liu Xiang and other defendants illegally manufactured and sold clenbuterol hydrochloride, a banned feed additive, to pig farmers in Henan Province. The substance accumulated in pork products and entered the supply chain, including major meat processor Shuanghui Group. The contamination was exposed by CCTV’s 3.15 program in March 2011, triggering a major food safety scandal. The defendants were charged with endangering public security by producing and selling toxic foodstuffs, as their actions posed a serious threat to an unspecified number of consumers. The case became one of the most prominent food safety prosecutions in China’s reform era.

In August 2011, the Jiaozuo Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Liu Xiang to death with a two-year reprieve, Xi Zhongjie to life imprisonment, Xiao Bing to 15 years, Chen Yuwei to 14 years, and Liu Honglin to 9 years. The court ruled that their actions constituted the crime of endangering public security by producing and selling toxic and harmful food.

Whether the crime constituted “endangering public security” or the lesser offense of illegal business operations; the level of subjective intent; the adequacy of food safety supervision and regulatory loopholes; and the appropriateness of the death penalty with reprieve for the principal offender.

The case exposed deep flaws in China’s food safety monitoring and led to a nationwide crackdown on clenbuterol use. It spurred amendments to the Criminal Law, imposing harsher penalties for food safety crimes. Public trust in the meat industry was severely shaken, and the Shuanghui Group faced significant reputational and financial damage. The incident also highlighted the effectiveness of investigative journalism and strengthened the role of consumer rights protection programs.