TIANSHUI, October 17, 2026 — A court in China has sentenced the operator of a kindergarten to life imprisonment for serving lead-tainted food that poisoned 247 children and 28 staff members. Li Huifang, who ran the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui’s Maiji district, was found guilty of adding toxic, non-food pigments to meals, causing widespread lead poisoning in July 2025.
Harsh Sentences for Six Defendants
The Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court handed down its ruling on Friday, convicting six individuals for their roles in the scandal. Li Huifang received a life sentence, deprivation of political rights, and a confiscation order of 500,000 yuan ($74,780) in personal assets, according to *China Daily*. Zhu Jinglin, the kindergarten’s executive principal, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,000 yuan. Four kitchen staff—Niu Aiyuan, Wen Yafang, He Xuxia, and An Chunling—received prison terms ranging from six to eight years, along with fines.
Lead Poisoning Outbreak Detailed
In July 2025, a Xinhua report revealed that 247 of the kindergarten’s 251 children and 28 of its 34 staff members had abnormal blood lead levels. The court found that Li and Zhu had instructed kitchen staff to add toxic, non-food pigments to meals for visual appeal, causing serious harm. Lead exposure is known to damage children’s brains and nervous systems, making the case particularly alarming.
Treatment and Recovery Efforts
All 247 affected children received either hospital treatment or nutritional support at home. Of the 235 hospitalized, 234 completed their first course of treatment and were discharged, while one remained in care as of the report. Experts noted that blood lead levels had dropped by an average of 40.21 percent following treatment, meeting medical expectations, according to *China Daily*.
Kindergarten’s Troubled History
The privately run Heshi Peixin Kindergarten opened in August 2022 in a residential compound in Maiji district. Its operations came under scrutiny after the lead poisoning incident, exposing regulatory and supply chain failures that allowed toxic substances to enter the food supply. The court ruled that all six defendants violated national food safety regulations, producing and selling harmful food under “particularly serious circumstances.”
Broader Implications for Food Safety
The case has sparked renewed concerns about food safety standards in China, notably in private institutions. While the sentences are severe, they underscore the government’s efforts to address public health crises. For all the noise around the ruling, the salient point remains the vulnerability of children to such lapses in oversight.
Sources
- China sentences 6 for lead-tainted kindergarten food that sickened over 200 children
- CTV News Toronto at Six
- Gansu kindergarten operator sentenced to life in lead poisoning case
Photo: ChinaFlag (Public domain)
