Involving "Problem" Protein Powder, "Fluorescent" Pork, and Deceptive Pills, Public Interest Litigation Typical Cases Released

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the China Consumers Association released a batch of typical public interest litigation cases protecting consumer rights on March 15. The batch includes 10 cases involving various consumer products such as nutritional supplements and agricultural products.

In one typical case, a company in Xi’an knowingly purchased protein powder produced by a company in Anhui that did not meet relevant safety standards, at a significantly lower price of 18 yuan per box compared to similar products, and sold it at 650 yuan per box. Testing revealed that the protein, vitamins, trace elements, and other contents in the product were far below national standards, making it an unsafe food product. It not only affected patients’ postoperative recovery but also increased their economic burden, infringing on social public interests. The Xi’an procuratorate filed a lawsuit with the court following proper procedures, and both involved companies were lawfully penalized.

In another case, a pharmaceutical company tricked elderly people by sending them a device that played stories falsely claiming traditional Chinese medicine health lectures and fabricated “royal secret formula pills” could treat various diseases. The device induced the elderly to listen and believe in the product’s therapeutic effects. Using deceptive tactics, the company promoted “Guben Yanling Pills,” misleading seniors to believe the medicine could treat “three highs” (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia) and cardiovascular diseases. The pills, which cost only a few dozen yuan to produce, were sold at 4 to 5 times the cost price. The Jinan procuratorate in Shandong filed a civil public interest lawsuit, and the pharmaceutical company and related personnel were held accountable.

In Nangong City, Hebei Province, some unscrupulous merchants used fluorescent whitening agents diluted in water to coat pork for sale, aiming to improve appearance and gain illicit profits. This practice seriously threatened consumers’ health and safety, damaging social public interests. By June 2025, based on extensive visits, investigations, and testing, local procuratorates issued recommendations to the local market supervision department, urging lawful crackdown on involved merchants and comprehensive inspections in the area. The merchants involved had their business licenses revoked, and the problematic pork and over 2,000 bags of fluorescent whitening agents were all destroyed in a harmless manner.

It is reported that the procuratorate will continue to focus on prominent issues in consumer rights protection that are strongly reflected by the public, as well as difficulties and bottlenecks in the consumption process. They will carry out the second season of the “Food and Drug Safety Benefit Road” public interest litigation supervision activities, emphasizing transforming case results into governance effectiveness, and using legal methods to promote source and systemic governance. (Reporter Liu Shuo)

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