Overview

• Eight staff members, including principal Zhu and investor Li, have been detained on suspicion of producing harmful food.
• Tests on 223 food samples found red date cakes and corn sausage rolls containing over 1,000 mg/kg of lead, far above the 0.5 mg/kg safety limit.
• Of 233 students with elevated blood lead levels, 201 remain hospitalized and are receiving free treatment.
• Investigators discovered inedible paint pigments were used as food dye to make meals more visually appealing and boost enrollment.
• The incident has highlighted persistent gaps in China’s food safety enforcement and renewed public scepticism following past scandals.