A Chinese court has today (22 January) sentenced two men to death for their involvement in China’s contaminated milk scandal that killed six babies and made 300,000 ill.
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According to reports, Zhang Yujun was accused of running an illegal workshop in Shandong province, producing 600 tonnes of the fake protein powder – the largest source of melamine in China.
Milk producer Geng Jinping was convicted of producing and selling toxic food to dairy companies.
Also convicted, Tian Wenhua, former chairman of the Sanlu Group, the dairy firm at the heart of the scandal, was sentenced to life in jail, state media reported. Three of her colleagues were given sentences ranging from five to 15 years.
They are among 21 sentences handed down by the court in northern China.
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By GlobalDataSanlu was the first dairy producer found to have sold dairy products laced with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, which was mixed into watered-down milk to give the appearance of higher protein levels.
In all, 22 firms were found to have sold the tainted milk, and the scandal led to contaminated Chinese dairy products being pulled off shelves around the world.
The contamination caused outrage in China and has tainted the image of the country’s food industry.
