In brief
Li Huifang, owner of Heshi Peixin Kindergarten, and six staff members received prison sentences for injecting toxic paint and lead‑laden ingredients into meals. More than 200 children suffered severe lead poisoning, with the food tested at 2,000 times the national safety limit. The court also seized over 500,000 yuan in assets and imposed harsh penalties, sparking new food‑safety guidelines in China.
Li Huifang, the owner of Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Gansu province, has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a mass poisoning that left more than 200 children with severe lead exposure.
According to state media, the nursery’s kitchen staff was instructed to use inedible paint to improve the appearance of meals, while Li and the executive principal, Zhi Jinglin, added toxic chemicals to food items such as steamed red‑date cakes and sausage‑corn buns.
Investigators found levels of lead in the contaminated food up to 2,000 times higher than China’s safety limit of 0.5 mg per kilogram. The outbreak triggered widespread illness among pupils, with 247 children and several staff members showing abnormally high blood lead levels.
Li received a life sentence and the court confiscated 500,000 yuan ($74,700) from his personal assets. Principal Zhi was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,000 yuan. Four kitchen staff members faced seven to eight‑year sentences.
The investigation also uncovered attempts by provincial officials and hospital staff to cover up the incident through tampering with blood tests and accepting bribes from an investor in the nursery.
In response, China has published new national guidelines for school meal safety, requiring each batch of food to be tested and mandating procurement from centralized sources only.
