The improvement of the reverse linkage mechanism between administrative and criminal enforcement in the field of food safety provides an institutional safeguard to overcome the dilemma of “escaping punishment without criminal conviction”, which is crucial for the effectiveness of food safety governance and the vital interests of the public. Logically, this mechanism aligns with the goal-oriented approach of stringent crackdowns on food safety violations, embodies the practical implementation of the criminal policy of combining leniency with severity, and represents a strategic pathway to enhance food safety governance. However, its operation faces three major obstacles: cognitive bias hindering the linkage process, institutional gaps constraining its implementation, and insufficient technological integration undermining its efficiency. To address these, we propose reinforcing food safety governance principles, refining the institutional framework for the reverse connection between administrative and criminal enforcement and implementing embedded collaboration with digital technologies. These measures will support the mechanism’s operation and enhance food safety governance capacity.