A court in China on Monday jailed five people for "endangering public safety" after they were convicted of selling an illegal fat-burning chemical to pork producers, state media said.

The sentencing in the central province of Henan was broadcast live on state television, highlighting the level of official and public concern over tainted pork, which is a staple in the Chinese diet.

Liu Xiang, a former pharmaceutical factory worker, was given a two-year suspended death sentence for producing 2,700 kilogrammes of clenbuterol, various state media reports said.

Suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.

Another four people were given jail terms ranging from nine years to life for their role in selling the additive -- which can speed up muscle building and fat burning to producer leaner pork -- to pig farmers.

A separate court in Henan sentenced three inspectors to between five and six years in jail for "dereliction of duty".

Clenbuterol, known among farmers as "lean meat powder, is banned in China because if eaten by humans it can lead to dizziness, heart palpitations and profuse sweating.

The additive was sold to pork producers in a number of provinces, including Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Shandong, some of who supplied China's largest meat processor, Shuanghui Group, the state media reports said.

Shuanghui was forced to apologise in March when the additive was found in some of its pork products marketed under its Shineway brand.

Tainted pork, toxic milk, dyed buns and other dodgy foods have surfaced in recent months, sickening consumers and highlighting the government's apparent inability to oversee China's huge and under-regulated food industry.

China's top court in May ordered capital punishment for food safety crimes that result in fatalities.

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