China's Supreme People's Procuratorate on Tuesday issued a circular urging procuratorates at all levels to "severely punish" violators in food safety crimes and officials' exhibiting delinquency in duty.

Procuratorates at all levels should work closely with public security organs and courts to give high priority to the crackdown on food safety crimes, according to the circular.

The circular urged procuratorates to establish a quick response mechanism that leads police to gather evidence and focus on cracking down on cases strongly resented by the public and contiguously exposed by the media.

Officials found taking bribes and practicing dereliction of duty by covering up food safety hazards and helping violators evade supervision will be investigated and prosecuted "without giving any leniency," it said.

Procuratorates at all levels should accelerate the study of laws and policies concerning food safety while expanding the channels of collecting evidence through citizen informants, media exposure and even street talks, said the circular.