SHANGHAI, Aug. 29 -- Six senior executives of scandal-saddled Shanghai Husi Food Co., Ltd. were formally arrested on Friday over charges of producing and selling counterfeit products, said the municipal procuratorate.

The official arrests were approved by the Second Branch of the Shanghai Municipal People's Procuratorate. The procuratorate said a man named Hu Jun was among those arrested, but refused to provide more details.

OSI China, the parent company of Shanghai Husi, confirmed on its website six employees have been arrested and said it will continue to cooperate fully with authorities.

The food scandal was first exposed after a local TV station reported on July 20 that Shanghai Husi had supplied products tainted with reprocessed, expired meat to a string of fast food chains and restaurants across China.

Chinese food and industry watchdogs immediately launched a probe into the scandal.