The Ministry of Public Security says that last year it cracked down on 12,000 food-related crimes and 8,500 crimes related to pharmaceutical drugs and smashed a number of unlicensed workshops and sales networks.

The ministry said it will further intensify its crackdown and work with relevant departments to hold legally accountable those responsible for crimes related to food and pharmaceutical drugs, and it will push for the improvement of judicial interpretations so that the law can better play its role as a deterrent.

The safety of food and pharmaceutical drugs has long been a concern because of the number of exposes of unsafe or counterfeit food and medicines in recent years. These have sparked ever-growing calls for the authorities to deal a sterner blow to such activities.