China sentences 6 to prison over lead poisoning of 247 kindergarten children

A Chinese court on Friday sentenced six people to prison terms for serving toxic and harmful food after 247 preschoolers were found to have abnormally high blood lead levels at a kindergarten in the country's northwest in 2025.

The Intermediate People's Court of Lanzhou City in Gansu sentenced Li Huifang, the person in charge of the kindergarten, to life imprisonment, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Li and Zhu Jinglin, the executive principal of Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Maiji District, instructed and organized the addition of toxic substances to food served to children and staff to make it more colorful and attractive for marketing, the report said.

Li was also deprived of political rights for life and had 500,000 yuan ($74,000) in personal property confiscated, according to the verdict.

Zhu was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,000 yuan.

Four kitchen workers who carried out the instructions received prison sentences of six to eight years and were also fined.

According to a provincial investigation report in July 2025, the contaminated pastries had been served to children and staff monthly since May 2024.

Of 251 children tested, 247 had abnormally high blood lead levels.

All affected children received hospital treatment or home-based nutritional intervention, and by July 20, 2025, most had completed their first course of treatment and been discharged from the hospital.