Weight-loss chocolates containing banned substance sibutramine Photo: Sina Weibo

Six people from East China’s Jiangsu Province were sentenced from six months to two years in jail with one year’s to three years’ probation after a kid was hospitalized at pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) due to consumption of diet chocolate they sold to his mother. 

The six defendants were also fined from 4,000 yuan ($553) to 60,000 yuan for selling toxic and harmful food after the 3-year-old boy suffered from minor myocardial damage after mistakenly consuming the weight-loss chocolates containing banned substance that the defendants sold to his mother.

Besides, the six people were banned from engaging in food production and sales during their probation period. They were ordered to make apologies on national media and paid 38,400 yuan in compensation for the damages they had done to public interests, according to the verdict.

On February 13, 2022, the boy named Hao Hao from Huai’an in Jiangsu started to sweat and his hands and feet got cold after he took six pieces of chocolates that his mother had bought for the purpose of losing weight. 

Hao Hao was rushed to a local hospital and the doctor made the preliminary judgement that the diet chocolate may contain the banned ingredient sibutramine. 

The next day, the boy exhibited symptoms of confusion, excitement and delirious speech, and was transferred to the PICU at the Nanjing Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Hexi Branch) for treatment. Through examinations, sibutramine was found in the blood of the boy, who suffered from minor myocardial damage.  

Hao Hao’s parents then took the diet chocolates to the police department and the authority found the complete sales chain. 

According to the police investigation, Hao Hao’s mother bought the box of diet chocolate from a defendant surnamed Chen. A total of six defendants were found to be involved in the sales chain of the diet chocolates containing the banned substance. 

China banned the production of weight-loss medicine containing sibutramine and classified the sibutramine as a prohibited substance in 2010. In 2012, sibutramine was listed in the first batch of substances that could be illegally added to health foods, being identified as “a toxic and harmful non-food ingredient,” officials said. 

Two defendants surnamed Jia and Liu paid Hao Hao’s family 480,000 yuan as compensation and the family accepted their apologies. 

On September 4, 2023, the six defendants were prosecuted for selling toxic and harmful food and all the defendants pleaded guilty. 

Since weight loss has become the goal for many people, some unscrupulous individuals have seized the opportunity to produce and sell toxic and harmful weight-loss products. 

In another case, two defendants surnamed Sun and Li from Suzhou in Jiangsu were given prison sentences of 12 years and six months and five years and three months respectively and were fined 12.5 million yuan and 450,000 yuan respectively for selling a toxic weight-loss product containing sibutramine in December of 2023. 

During the nationwide special operation Kunlun 2024 launched by Ministry of Public Security in March of 2024, the public security bureau in Chongqing Municipality cracked down on a criminal syndicate which produced and sold toxic and harmful weight loss food, apprehending 14 suspects. Over 100,000 tablets and capsules containing sibutramine were seized, along with more than 10,000 sets of packaging materials. Eight criminal dens were destroyed, and 14 pieces of production equipment were confiscated. 

Global Times