Two people were executed in China yesterday for their roles in the San Lu tainted baby formula scandal.
Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety and Geng Jinping for producing and selling toxic food, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Read more: Amnesty urges Fonterra to condemn executions
At least six children died and more than 300,000 became sick last year as a result of ingesting the baby formula containing melamine.
The scandal was big news in New Zealand because Fonterra had a 43 per cent in San Lu.
Melamine, which can cause kidney stones, is used to make plastics, fertilisers and even concrete.
It's been alleged that San Lu officials were aware of the melamine problem by early August 2008 but didn't tell the public for six weeks as China wanted to save face for the Beijing Olympics.
A total of 21 San Lu executives and middlemen were tried and sentenced in January by a court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang for their involvement in the case.
San Lu's former general manager, Tian Wenhua, received a life jail sentence while three other former executives got between five years and 15 years in prison.
A Fonterra spokesman said "the whole incident has been a terrible tragedy".
Do you think the death penalty should have been used in this case? Or should Fonterra and the New Zealand Government publicly condemn the executions?
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