Three company administrators have been given jail terms for knowingly producing and selling shoddy products in a steamed bun scandal, a local court in Shanghai announced Monday.

Ye Weilu, general manager of Shanghai Shenglu Food Co., was sentenced to nine years in jail and fined 650,000 yuan (102,000 U.S. dollars) for adding food coloring to corn flour buns during the production process at a company subsidiary in Baoshan district.

Both the company's sales manager and production manager received five years in prison and were fined 200,000 yuan on charges of being accomplices.

The company sold dyed buns worth over 620,000 yuan between October 2010 and April 2011, according to the district people's court.

During the same period, the company also produced "new" buns with expired or near-expired buns returned by retailers, and labelled them with new production dates.

Verdicts on six cases concerning food and drug safety were announced on Monday by local courts in Shanghai, and 17 defendants received jail terms and fines.