Melamine tainted biscuits from China

More than 1,500 boxes of Chinese biscuits exported to Hong Kong and Singapore have tested positive for melamine as suspects in the protracted tainted-food scandal go on trial in China, local media reported.

 The scandal
has battered faith in Chinese-made products after a series of food-
and product-safety scares and led to recalls of Chinese-made dairy
products around the world. At least six babies died after drinking
contaminated formula in China and hundreds of thousands fell ill.

Quality inspectors in Dongguan in the
southern province of Guangdong found the latest contaminated biscuits
after examining 13 batches of 4,800 boxes for export after
neighbouring Hong Kong, a "special administrative region"
of China, and Singapore reported tainted samples, the China News
Service said.

The tainted products had been destroyed
while others were sent back to the manufacturer, it said.
Investigations showed the melamine in the biscuits came from milk
powder, it added.

Tian Wenhua, former chairwoman of Sanlu
Group, goes on trial on Wednesday along with other three senior
executives of the company that was at the heart of the scandal and
since gone bankrupt, the Beijing News said.

By Monday, 17 suspects involved in
producing, selling, buying and adding melamine into raw milk had gone
on trial, the China News Service said.