Supreme People's Procuratorate and China Consumers Association Jointly Release Typical Cases of Public Interest Litigation for Consumer Rights Protection Focusing on Food and Drug Safety and Rights Protection of Elderly and Other Key Groups

People’s Daily Financial News, March 15 — On the occasion of the “3.15” International Consumer Rights Day, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the China Consumers Association jointly released a series of typical cases of public interest litigation for consumer rights protection. These cases include: a civil public interest lawsuit handled by the Jinan Procuratorate in Shandong against false advertising and marketing of “secret miracle drugs” harming the rights of the elderly; a civil public interest lawsuit supported by Guangdong Procuratorate filed by the Provincial Consumer Committee against counterfeit imported foods; an administrative public interest lawsuit by Taizhou Procuratorate in Zhejiang against substandard agricultural products; an administrative public interest lawsuit by the Nangong People’s Procuratorate in Hebei to rectify illegal addition of fluorescent whitening agents by merchants; and a case in Henan where the procuratorate handled a monopoly administrative public interest lawsuit restricting consumers’ choice of liquefied petroleum gas, among others, totaling 10 cases. Among these, 2 were initiated by consumer rights protection organizations with support from the procuratorate, 3 were civil public interest lawsuits filed by the procuratorate, 2 were administrative public interest lawsuits, and 3 involved pre-trial procedures for administrative public interest litigation. These cases demonstrate the collaborative efforts of the procuratorate, consumer associations, and administrative regulatory departments to lawfully safeguard consumers’ legitimate rights and interests. The cases cover accountability for illegal addition and unquarantined products that do not meet safety standards, supervision over false advertising and fraudulent sales, and focus on protecting key groups such as the elderly and mothers and infants, aiming to enhance the precision of judicial protection. According to reports, these typical cases highlight full-chain regulation and source governance. Based on the characteristics of each case, the procuratorate lawfully employs methods such as announcements, consultations, prosecutorial suggestions, litigation, and support for prosecution to form a layered, coordinated supervision pattern, fully leveraging the unique functions of the public interest litigation system.