TWO MEN have gone on trial in China accused of making and selling the poisonous chemical at the centre of a tainted milk scandal blamed for killing six children and sickening hundreds of thousands more, writes Clifford Coonanin Beijing
In pictures broadcast on state television, Zhang Yujun and Zhang Yanzhang were led into a courtroom in handcuffs, their heads bowed, to be questioned by three judges in Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court in Hebei province.
They are accused of illegally making and selling a "protein powder" which was mostly made up of melamine, a plastic used in table-top coatings, and malt dextrin. Four others went on trial for adding the additive to dairy products, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Farmers added the powder to raw milk to make it appear high in protein content. While melamine poses little danger in small amounts, in larger doses can cause kidney stones and renal failure.
The scandal broke in September and came hard on the heels of the Beijing Olympics, and it caused widespread shock in China, while it did further damage worldwide to the country's reputation for product safety.
Police found an illegal workshop run by the two Zhangs on the outskirts of Jinan in Shandong province in eastern China, according to Xinhua. At the plant they made 600 tons of the fake protein powder from September 2007 to October 2008, the largest source of melamine in the country.
Meanwhile, the woman in charge of the Sanlu Dairy, which is at the heart of the scandal, could face the death penalty over the affair, her lawyer said.
Sanlu Group is based in Shijiazhuang where the Zhangs have gone on trial. The company, which is 43 per cent-owned by New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra Group, confirmed earlier this week that it was bankrupt.
The trial of former Sanlu chairwoman Tian Wenhua starts on Wednesday. Chinese law allows the death sentence for anyone who knowingly produces or sells food with toxic non-food substances, causing death or serious harm to human health.
Sanlu, like other top Chinese dairies, had been exempt from government inspections because it was deemed to have superior quality controls - until high levels of melamine were found in its baby formula and other products in September. Several other dairies were also found to have sold tainted goods.
The next big stage will be working out compensation for the families of the children sickened or killed. Courts so far have not accepted any lawsuits filed by the families.