China milk verdicts show government fixing safety woes
The death sentences and heavy jail terms imposed in China's tainted milk scandal show that authorities are serious about lifting the nation's food safety standards, state media said Friday (January 26).
"There is reason to believe that the trial and the punishment mark the beginning of a long-standing fight against contaminated food," an editorial in the China Daily said.
The government uses the English-language newspaper to air its views to a foreign audience.
A court in northern China on Thursday sentenced two men to death for making and selling milk contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, while a dairy company boss was among three people given life sentences for their roles.
One other person was given a suspended death penalty, a sentence that routinely gets commuted to life in jail, while 15 others were imprisoned for terms ranging from two to 15 years.
Six babies died and nearly 300,000 others became ill with kidney and urinary tract problems last year after consuming dairy products laced with melamine, which was mixed into milk to make it seem to have higher protein content.
The scandal further tarnished China's already battered reputation overseas for product safety, as contaminated Chinese dairy products were recalled around the world.
Relatives of the victims have accused the government of conducting show trials and making the 21 people scapegoats, saying government officials and many others involved in the scandal haven't been held to account.
However, the China Daily insisted the trials and verdicts set a benchmark for how similar cases should be handled in the future.
"The parents of many infant victims should feel relieved because justice has finally prevailed," the paper said.
"The trial of this case will hopefully set a precedent for handling similar cases in the future. It will hopefully create a better climate for food safety."
It also highlighted that more people would likely be punished with 39 others still awaiting trial.
