Paint Added to Food to Brighten Meal Colors... Person Responsible for 'Mass Lead Poisoning at Chinese Kindergarten' Sentenced to Life in Prison

Bread made with paint prohibited for food use served as part of meals
247 of 251 children received "abnormal results"

The person responsible for ordering that paint prohibited for use in food be added to meals has been sentenced to life in prison.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and other outlets on Oct. 17, the Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court in Gansu Province sentenced Li to life imprisonment in a first-instance ruling on Oct. 16. Li, the person effectively in charge of the kindergarten, was convicted of producing and selling toxic and harmful food. Li was also sentenced to lifelong deprivation of political rights and the confiscation of 500,000 yuan (about 100 million won) in personal assets.

Li was reportedly the kindergarten's owner and investor. Li was involved in a mass lead poisoning case at a private kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu Province, China, in July 2025.

Zhu, the kindergarten's "executive principal," who effectively served as its head, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,000 yuan (about 60 million won). Four kitchen workers who participated in the crime on their orders each received prison sentences of six to eight years.

Lead poisoning can cause irreversible damage to the brain and central nervous system. In children, it can lead to reduced cognitive ability and attention, as well as delayed growth. The long-term effects of lead exposure cannot be determined solely by blood lead levels; children in particular may experience impacts on their development even when their symptoms are not apparent.

The photo is unrelated to the article's content. Pixabay

The court found that the operator and principal had instructed kitchen staff to add harmful substances to food. The kindergarten came under scrutiny last year after 247 of its 251 children and 28 of its 34 staff members were found to have "abnormal results." At the time, children complained of vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, hair loss, hypersensitivity and tooth discoloration.

Investigators found that the principal and others had ordered the purchase of non-food-grade pigments in April 2024 and February 2025 to make food look more vivid and appetizing in meal photos used to promote enrollment. Although food coloring was cheaper, the kindergarten chose the pigments in question because they produced more vivid colors.

The kindergarten bought yellow, red and green pigments on an online shopping platform, mixed them into flour dough and used it to make bread and other items served at meals. The food in question included three-color jujube steamed buns and corn-and-sausage bread.

In May 2024, a child attending the kindergarten was found to have an abnormal blood lead level at Tianshui Second People's Hospital. In follow-up tests over the next six months or so after the first abnormal result, the child had elevated levels on more than five occasions.

However, no action was taken to investigate a possible mass lead exposure. More than a year later, comprehensive testing in July 2025 confirmed abnormal blood lead levels among the children and staff, prompting Gansu Province to launch a full-scale investigation and inquiry.

Chinese authorities define a normal blood lead level for children as 100 micrograms per liter or lower, but levels among many of the children reached 200 to 500 micrograms per liter. Of the 247 children found to have abnormal blood lead levels, 235 received inpatient treatment. Authorities said their blood lead levels fell by an average of 40% after treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.