BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese court on Friday sentenced a kindergarten operator and other employees to prison terms for serving spoiled food, after more than 200 students were found with abnormally high levels of lead in their bloodstate media reported.
Li Huifang, who ran the Heshi Peixin kindergarten in Tianshui city, Gansu province, was sentenced to life in prison and confiscation of 500,000 yuan ($75,000) of her personal property, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
The Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court also sentenced Zhu Jinglin, executive director of the kindergarten, to 15 years in prison and a fine of 300,000 yuan ($44,800), CCTV reported. Four other people who worked in the kindergarten’s kitchen were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eight years, the statement said.
The court ruled that Li and Zhu asked the four kitchen workers to add toxic and harmful substances to the food eaten by young children and kindergarten staff.
As of July 2025, more than 200 students and more than 20 staff members had abnormally high blood lead levels, with media reports claiming the school added inedible lead-containing pigments to their foods for visual appeal. High levels of lead exposure can damage a child’s brain and nervous system.
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