Outrage In China After Over 200 Children Poisoned By Lead-Tainted Food In Kindergarten

 

More than 200 kindergarten students in northwestern China have been diagnosed with abnormal levels of lead in their blood after staff used industrial paint as a food coloring agent, sparking public outrage and renewed concerns over food safety in the country.

According to local authorities, eight individuals — including the principal of the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui city — have been detained on suspicion of “producing toxic and harmful food.” An investigation revealed that the principal and a financial backer instructed kitchen staff to use pigment paint in children’s meals to make the food appear more attractive, allegedly to boost enrollment and revenue.

Of the 251 children enrolled at the school, 233 were found to have elevated blood lead levels. As of the latest update, 201 are hospitalized and undergoing medical treatment. Lead exposure, especially in children, can cause serious long-term developmental and neurological harm. However, full medical evaluations of the affected children have not yet been made public.

Local media reports cited a pediatric expert who warned that the children may be suffering from chronic lead poisoning — suggesting prolonged exposure over several months.

Two food samples collected from the kindergarten, including a red date steamed cake and a sausage corn roll, were found to contain lead concentrations exceeding national safety limits by more than 2,000 times. The paint used in the food, clearly labeled as inedible, has since been confiscated by authorities.

Officials launched an investigation on July 1 after receiving reports of abnormal blood test results among the children. However, some parents say warning signs had been present for months. One mother recounted to local media how her child had suffered behavioral changes and stomach pain for half a year. Another mother described her shock after a hospital in Xi’an — a city four hours away — found her child’s blood lead level had reached 528 micrograms per liter, well above China’s severe poisoning threshold of 450.

Many families, distrusting local authorities’ test results, independently sought second opinions in Xi’an. Of 70 children tested there, several were confirmed to have severe lead poisoning, according to state-affiliated reports.

Parents have expressed anger over the lack of transparency in the investigation and delays in proper disclosure. One mother questioned how children could suffer such serious poisoning from food served only a couple of times per week. “If something like this happened at school, at least give us an explanation,” she said. “Now there is nothing.”

Tianshui’s mayor, Liu Lijiang, has pledged full support for the children’s treatment and promised stricter food safety oversight, saying the city will “do everything possible to ensure the children’s rehabilitation and long-term protection.”

The case has triggered widespread backlash across Chinese social media platforms, where netizens are demanding serious accountability. “When it involves the safety of young children, severe punishment must be imposed,” wrote one commenter. Another added, “Children are the hope of a family. I hope they recover soon.”

This is far from the first food safety scandal in China to involve children. In one of the most infamous cases, tainted baby formula containing melamine killed six infants and sickened hundreds of thousands in 2008, prompting national outrage and the execution of several individuals involved.

China has made efforts in recent years to strengthen food safety regulations and reduce heavy metal contamination. In 2010, the government began allocating special funds to combat heavy metal pollution after a series of mass poisoning cases left over 4,000 people affected.

Despite progress, enforcement remains inconsistent, and experts warn that repeated failures to ensure transparency and safety could erode public trust. Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, emphasized the need for “more transparency, more thorough investigation of food safety cases,” warning that without systemic reform, China could face a deepening “trust crisis.”