Overview
- The Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court on Oct. 16–17 sentenced operator Li Huifang to life in prison and ordered 500,000 yuan in personal assets seized, gave executive principal Zhu Jinglin 15 years and a 300,000 yuan fine, and jailed four kitchen workers for six to eight years.
- The court concluded that Li and Zhu instructed kitchen staff to add toxic and harmful substances to meals, and footage released by state media showed chefs adding paint-like pigments to food served to children.
- Health testing in July 2025 found roughly 200 to 247 students and more than 20 staff with abnormally high blood lead levels after the pigment use was reported.
- Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can harm a child’s brain and nervous system, and the World Health Organization has warned that lead poisoning remains a large, preventable global threat.
- The sentences underline stronger legal enforcement of food safety in China and are likely to increase calls for wider screening, stricter kitchen oversight, and public-health measures to prevent future lead exposure.