A total of 53 officials who were responsible for recent scandals involving the sale of melamine-tainted milk have been punished.

Seventeen were dismissed and others faced penalties ranging from demotions to demerits and warnings, said Xinhua News Agency on May 2.

The move follows the sentencing of 14 people convicted of producing or selling tainted milk powder in Shanxi and Hebei provinces on April 29.

Among the 14 involved in the four recent cases, two were sentenced to life imprisonment and four received 10 to 15 years in jail.

China launched a renewed crackdown against illegal food additives in April.