China has handed down death sentences to two men over the tainted milk scandal which killed at least six babies and sickened hundreds of thousands.

China milk scandal: Two sentenced to death
article in the Telegraph

The parents of the first child to die after drinking baby milk laced with a lethal chemical have succeeded in winning compensation.

Chinese parents win toxic milk payout
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"Yi Yongsheng and Jiao Hongfang, from Gangu in Gansu province, said they had accepted £20,000 after their five-month-old son died from kidney failure.

Twenty-two Chinese dairy companies admitted in September that they had sold milk tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical that causes the formation of kidney stones and crystals in children.

So far at least six children have died and a further 300,000 infants have been sickened.

Yi and Jiao's son died in May. By accepting the compensation money from Sanlu, which has filed for bankruptcy, they have given up the right to sue the company. Shen Xianlei, one of their lawyers, said the couple was unlikely to get more than 200,000 yuan by taking their case to court in Gansu.

Dong Junming, another lawyer working for the couple, said: "Legal procedures are too complicated for them, which made them decide to take the money."

The payout was part of a widely-criticised scheme announced by the government last month. Under the current plans, families whose children died would receive 200,000 yuan, while others would receive between 2,000 and 30,000 yuan depending on the severity of the illness."

Heinz and Mars have been drawn into China's tainted milk crisis, following Cadbury which had to withdraw 11 brands of chocolate from the Far East.

China tainted milk scandal: Heinz and Mars drawn in
Article in the Telegraph

Extracts:

"Heinz said it would stop using Chinese milk in its food processing operations in mainland China and Hong Kong after a batch of baby food was found to be contaminated with melamine.

Melamine, a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic, has been blamed for killing at least four babies and making 53,000 other infants sick after being added to milk supplies in China.

Mars meanwhile challenged findings by the Indonesian government that suggested Chinese-made chocolates including Snickers bars and M&Ms were also tainted with melamine.

The government said it was recalling the chocolates from sale, but Mars issued a statement saying both its chocolates and its milk supplies had been cleared by separate tests in China and elsewhere."

"Heinz discovered at the end of last week that one batch of "Heinz Intelligence Many Many Vegetable Cereal" on sale in Hong Kong showed traces of melamine.

All other Heinz varieties were melamine-free, it said.

The decision to recall 270 cases of baby food, and switch to non-Chinese sources of milk, followed the announcement on Monday by Cadbury that it had found traces of melamine in some Chinese-made chocolates.

It is withdrawing all 11 brands from markets supplied by its China plant, including Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the pacific islands of Nauru and Christmas Island.

The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency said 12 products distributed in the country had tested positive for melamine, including M&Ms, Snickers and Oreo biscuits.

Mars said it would comply with a government recall but said that all its products had been cleared by government tests in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia."

"Kraft foods, which makes Oreo biscuits, said it was also questioning the methodology of the Indonesian tests."

Cadbury confirms melamine and police have arrested 22 people accused of being involved in China's tainted milk scandal.

China tainted milk scandal: Cadbury confirms melamine and 22 arrested
Article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The arrests came as Cadbury recalled Dairy Milk bars and other chocolates from across the Far East after traces of melamine were found in its Chinese made chocolates.

State media Xinhau reported that more than 480lb of the industrial chemical melamine was seized during raids.

The arrests took place in Hebei province and Chinese media reported that a police investigation showed that melamine had been produced in underground plants and then sold to farms and milk purchasers.

Cadbury had earlier said it was recalling 11 types of Chinese made products after tests found they contained melamine.

A Cadbury spokesman said it was too early to say how much of the chemical was in the chocolates."