China, under world scrutiny for food safety, executes food-and-drug chief for taking bribes

"In perhaps a demonstration of how serious China is about shoring up the safety of its food products, Beijing executed the former head of its State Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday," Tom Johnston of MeatingPlace.com reports. Zheng Xiaoyu, 63, was convicted of taking bribes to approve untested medicine that was blamed for at least 10 deaths. The official news agency Xinhua (which posted the photo, of Zheng in court last month) did not disclose the manner of execution. "Zheng's execution was concurrent with a press conference at which China's top food and drug regulatory agencies vowed to crack down on counterfeit food and medicine," MeatingPlace reports. "Beijing has been pressured to make vast improvements after a spate of health scares tied to sub-par products, including exports of tainted food and fake drugs. (Read more) For a longer Associated Press report, click here. For the Xinhua story, click here.