LANZHOU: A Chinese court sentenced kindergarten operator Li Huifang to life imprisonment on Friday over toxic food linked to lead poisoning in 247 children in Tianshui, Gansu province.
Li and executive principal Zhu Jinglin instructed kitchen workers to add toxic ingredients to meals at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten. As a result, the Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court convicted them of producing and selling toxic and harmful food.
Zhu received a 15-year prison sentence and a 300,000 yuan fine. Meanwhile, four kitchen workers received prison terms ranging from six to eight years.
Judges also ordered the confiscation of 500,000 yuan in Li’s personal assets and deprived Li of political rights for life.
Investigators found that management wanted brighter food colours to attract children and encourage enrolment. Staff therefore mixed industrial paint pigments into cakes and sausage rolls, although the packaging explicitly warned against consumption.
A provincial investigation established that the kindergarten served contaminated pastries from May 2024. During that period, management circulated photographs and videos of the brightly coloured food to promote the privately run school.
Parents raised concerns after children developed stomach pain, poor appetite and hair loss. Authorities subsequently began investigating in July 2025.
Testing eventually found abnormal blood lead levels in some of the 251 children examined. Provincial investigators said repeat testing identified additional cases after the initial screening. However, problems extended beyond the kindergarten kitchen.
Gansu’s provincial investigation found that workers at Tianshui Second People’s Hospital had altered some blood test results downwards. Separately, investigators identified serious testing errors at the provincial disease control centre that produced inaccurate readings.
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Investigators also accused local education and market supervision personnel of accepting improper benefits from the kindergarten’s operator. They opened disciplinary investigations involving regulators, hospital managers and health officials.
According to the provincial investigation’s July 20, 2025 findings, affected children received hospital treatment or nutritional interventions at home. By that date, most had completed their first treatment course.
Lead can permanently damage children’s developing brains and nervous systems, the World Health Organisation warns. It says no level of exposure is known to be free of harmful effects.
(With additional input from CCTV and Xinhua)
