A kindergarten owner in China’s Gansu province has been sentenced to life imprisonment after more than 200 children were poisoned by meals containing industrial paint with dangerously high lead concentrations.
Li Huifang, who operated the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, was convicted of producing and selling toxic food after investigators discovered that kitchen staff had deliberately added inedible paint to cakes and buns to make them more visually appealing.
The scandal emerged in July 2025 when 247 children and staff were found to have elevated blood lead levels, with some food samples containing more than 2,000 times the permitted lead concentration. The nursery’s executive principal received a 15-year prison sentence, while four kitchen employees were jailed for six to eight years.
Investigators also uncovered attempts by provincial officials and hospital personnel to conceal the poisoning through manipulated blood tests and bribery. The scandal has prompted China to introduce stricter national school food safety regulations, including enhanced testing and tighter controls over ingredient procurement.
Image credit: Yunus Tug
