BEIJING - Chinese courts at all levels heard 104 cases regarding production and selling of tainted food from January to July, according to a statement released by the Food Safety Commission under the State Council on Friday.

The statement also said 81 suspects involved in the cases were found guilty of food safety crimes.

It said that to underscore official and public concern over food safety, Chinese courts have handed down harsh sentences to producers and dealers of unsafe food, as well as to food safety officials for dereliction of duty and corruption.

In major cases such as ones regarding illegal pork feed additives in Henan and fake red wine in Hebei, one person received a suspended death penalty, two were given life sentences, and 21 others got jail terms ranging from one to fifteen years.

During the period, six people in northeast China's Liaoning Province were given jail terms ranging from six months to two years for producing and selling bean sprouts that were grown using a toxic fertilizer.

China will continue its heavy-handed approach toward food safety violations, said China's Food Safety Commission in the statement.

Food safety is a growing public concern in China. In 2010, authorities across the country investigated and handled 130,000 cases of food safety violations, shutting down over 100,000 enterprises, according to the State Council Food Safety Commission.

Approximately 2,000 suspects were arrested and more than 4,900 businesses were shut down across the country for illegal practices during a national overhaul launched in April this year to crack down on illegal additives in food.