16 on trial for illegal cooking oil sales

Case the largest of its kind since penalties for crime were clarified

Sixteen suspects stood trial on Monday accused of manufacturing and selling illegal cooking oil that contained waste oil and oil extracted from animal byproducts, including fox fur and chicken feathers.

The oil was sold to more than 100 food enterprises in five provinces and municipalities for about 60 million yuan ($9.8 million). The case is considered the largest of its kind since the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate unveiled a judicial explanation of dealing with criminal cases that endanger food safety in May.