Nursery owner in China jailed for life after hundreds of children poisoned

A nursery proprietor in China has been sentenced to life imprisonment after hundreds of children were poisoned by lead‑tainted food served at her facility. Li Huifang, who operated the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu province, received the life term for producing and selling toxic and harmful food, according to Chinese authorities and state media. The Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court also ordered the confiscation of 500,000 yuan (approximately £56,200 or $74,700) of her personal assets. In July 2025, 247 pupils and staff at the nursery were found to have abnormally precocious humor pb levels after a wave of illnesses emerged among the children. Investigators determined that kitchen staff had used inedible overgarment to “enhance the look” of meals, despite the material being clearly marked as unsuitable for consumption. Food testing revealed lead concentrations 2,000 times above China’s national safety limit. Samples of steamed red date bars and sausage maize buns contained 1,052 mg/kg and 1,340 mg/kg of lead, respectively, far exceeding the permitted 0.5 mg/kg threshold. The probe was triggered when 235 children from Heshi Peixin required medical treatment for lead poisoning after eating the contaminated cakes and buns. Lead poisoning is described by the World Health Organization as “particularly harmful to young children” and capable of “severely harm[ing] the brain and central nervous system.” Further inquiry showed that dozens of provincial officials and hospital personnel attempted to conceal the incident by tampering with blood tests and accepting bribes from a nursery investor. In addition to Li’s sentence, nursery enforcement chief Zhi Jinglin was handed a 15‑year prison term and fined 300,00 yuan. Four other employees who worked in the kitchen received sentences ranging from six to eight years, with the court finding they had acted on instructions from Li and Zhi to add toxic ingredients to the food served to children and staff. Following the scandal, China has issued a set of national guidelines for campus meal provision. The measures mandate that every new batch of food be tested before distribution and that flour, grain and cooking oil be sourced exclusively from centralized procurement points. Read the full story at BBC News →