Twenty-five people were given sentences terms ranging from six months to 20 years in 11 food and drug safety cases in north China's Hebei Province on Tuesday.

Song Hexin was sentenced to 20 years for selling 322 tonnes of toxic industrial gelatin as edible between 2007 and 2012, a district court in Cangzhou said. The court also confiscated all his personal property.

Another two senior managers of the company were sentenced to nine years.

In another case involving the sale of fake diabetes drugs, the two defendants were also sentenced to nine years in prison.