Chinese kindergarten owner gets life sentence in lead paint case
The gist
A Chinese court jailed kindergarten owner Li Huifang for life over lead-tainted food that poisoned 247 children.
The verdict follows a scandal that also triggered probes of 10 local officials.
How it unfolded
- Apr 2024The principal and others ordered non-food-grade pigments to make meals look more vivid in photos used to promote enrollment.
- May 2024The toxic pastries began being served routinely to students and staff on a monthly basis; a child was found to have an abnormal blood lead level at Tianshui Second People's Hospital, with elevated levels on more than five occasions over six months but no investigation of possible mass exposure.
- Feb 2025A second order for non-food-grade pigments was placed.