May 9 (Reuters) - China has pledged to launch a nationwide cleanup of its food industry to ensure safety.

The announcement comes as two Chinese companies were found to have illegally exported contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein for pet food which was blamed for a spate of animal deaths in the United States.

It also follows an investigation into Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, on corruption charges.

(For a related story, click on [nPEK196214])

Following is a list of some recent food safety scares linked to China:

2000 - Rice is tainted after vendors mix it with industrial oil, giving the rice a shiny appearance that appeals to consumers.

2004 - At least 13 babies die from malnutrition in the eastern province of Anhui after being fed fake baby milk that had no nutritional value.

May 2004 - At least nine people die in the southern province of Guangdong after consuming fake liquor made with industrial-use alcohol.

July 2005 - Infections from streptococcus suis bacteria, contracted from slaughtering, handling or eating infected pigs, are linked to the deaths of nearly 40 people in China's southwestern province of Sichuan.

August 2005 - Hong Kong's government says it has discovered malachite green, a suspected cancer-causing chemical, in some freshwater fish and eels imported from China. The chemical is banned in many countries, including China.

August 2006 - Nearly 40 people in Beijing contract meningitis after eating raw or partially cooked snails at a chain of Sichuan restaurants.

October 2006 - Health officials in Taiwan impound a batch of hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake, in China's eastern Jiangsu province, saying they contain nitrofuran, an antibiotic linked to cancer.

November 2006 - China culls more than 5,000 ducks that farmers had fed with a dye to make their eggs look redder and fresher. The eggs were found to contain Sudan II, a cancer-causing red dye.

March 2007 - Melamine, a feed additive, is found in wheat gluten and rice protein exported from China for use in pet foods, leading to the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs in North America and prompting a recall of more than 100 pet food brands.

April-May 2007 - The U.S. Agriculture Department says chickens, pigs and fish in the U.S. may have been given feed contaminated with melamine, but investigators say the chemical is unlikely to harm the animals or threaten human health.

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