Chinese nursery owner jailed for life after lead poisoning of hundreds of children

A court in China has handed a life sentence to Li Huifang, owner of the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, in the north-western province of Gansu. She was convicted of producing and selling toxic and harmful food after lead-contaminated meals poisoned hundreds of children in July 2025, a case that drew wide attention in China. The sentences were reported by Chinese state media.

What happened

In July 2025, after children began falling ill, 247 pupils and staff at the nursery were found to have abnormally high blood lead levels. According to state broadcaster CCTV, the Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court also ordered the confiscation of 500,000 yuan (about £56,200) of Li's personal assets.

The nursery's executive principal, Zhi Jinglin, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,000 yuan. Four kitchen workers received sentences of six to eight years. The court found they had been told by Li and Zhi to add toxic and harmful ingredients to food served to children and staff.

Investigation findings

Investigators found that chefs had used paint not intended for consumption to make meals look more appealing and attract more students, even though the paint was clearly labelled as inedible. The inquiry began after 235 children were treated for lead poisoning following meals of steamed red date cakes and sausage corn buns. Those foods contained lead at 1,052 and 1,340 mg/kg, against a national food safety limit of 0.5 mg/kg. Other food samples showed lead levels 2,000 times above China's national limit.

The World Health Organization says lead is particularly harmful to young children and can severely damage the brain and central nervous system.

Officials later found that dozens of provincial officials and hospital staff had tried to cover up the incident by tampering with blood tests and accepting bribes from a nursery investor.

Since then, China has published national guidelines for meals provided on school and nursery campuses. They require every new batch of food to be tested and flour, rice and cooking oil to be bought only from centralised procurement points.