Chinese execute 2 in milk scandal

BEIJING - China executed a dairy farmer and a milk salesman yesterday for their roles in the sale of contaminated baby formula - severe punishments that Beijing hopes will assuage public anger, reassure importers, and put to rest one of the country's worst food safety crises.

The men were the only people put to death in a scheme to boost profits by lacing milk powder with the industrial chemical melamine; 19 other people were convicted and received lesser sentences.

At least six children died after drinking the adulterated formula, and more than 300,000 were sickened.

Beijing is eager to show it has responded swiftly to eliminate problems in its food production chain that have spawned protests at home and threatened its export-reliant economy.

The milk-powder contamination struck a nerve with the public because so many children were affected, but was only one in a series of product recalls and embarrassing disclosures of lax public-health safeguards.

Melamine, which is used to make plastics and fertilizers, has also been found added to pet food, eggs, and fish feed, although not in levels considered dangerous to humans.

The chemical, which like protein is high in nitrogen, fooled inspectors. It can cause kidney stones and kidney failure.

Zhang Yujun, the farmer, was executed for endangering public safety, and Geng Jinping for producing and selling toxic food, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Much of the phony protein powder that Zhang and Geng produced and sold ended up at the defunct Sanlu Group Co., at the time one of China's biggest dairies.

China, working with U.S. officials, has tightened regulations and increased inspections on producers and exporters.

But Beijing continues to struggle to regulate small, illegally run operations that are often blamed for introducing additives into the food chain.

The country has 450,000 registered food production and processing enterprises, but many - about 350,000 - employ 10 or fewer people.

A U.N. report last year said small enterprises presented many of China's greatest food safety challenges.

Xinhua said the executions were announced by the Shijiazhuang Municipal Intermediate People's Court, although a court clerk who answered the phone said he was unable to confirm them.