Overview
- The Lanzhou court's ruling, reported Oct. 18, 2026, convicted the facility operator of producing and selling poisonous food and sentenced her to life in prison while five staff received six- to 15-year terms.
- Investigators found kitchen workers had mixed paint labeled 'not for consumption' into cake dough and filled rolls served to children and staff.
- Health testing linked the meals to elevated blood lead in 247 children and additional staff members after the case first became public in July 2025.
- Two tested food samples had lead levels more than 2,000 times the Chinese safety limit and a local hospital was found to have retroactively lowered some blood-test results.
- Authorities opened probes of officials and medical staff after the exposure and reporting, and the case has prompted wider scrutiny of school-meal safety and oversight procedures.