In brief
Eight staff members of Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui have been detained after authorities discovered inedible pigments used in food decoration led to severe lead poisoning among students. The community reactions raise concerns about local governance and food safety standards.
In a troubling incident in northwest China, over 200 children have been hospitalized following exposure to lead-tainted food served at a local kindergarten. The scandal originated from Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu Province, where school authorities and staff allegedly used inedible pigments for decorating cakes and buns, according to state media reports.The principal and seven staff members have been taken into custody by local police. Investigations revealed that the school kitchen employed bright colors in food preparation solely for marketing purposes, aiming to attract more enrollment. The creative presentation led to the preparation of sausage buns mimicking corn on the cob and bright red date cakes, which concealed a grave health hazard.Footage reviewed by investigators showed kitchen workers adding vibrantly colored powders to flour, raising alarms about the safety protocols in place within the establishment. Laboratory tests indicated that the lead levels in the affected food items were alarmingly over 2,000 times higher than the permissible limit of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram set by national food safety standards.Initial reports emerged on July 1, sparking a public outcry regarding the effectiveness of local health facilities. Parents criticized medical responses, claiming that local clinics failed to accurately diagnose lead poisoning. Consequently, several families were compelled to travel over 200 miles to Xi’an for comprehensive testing, where numerous cases of lead toxicity were confirmed.As of recent updates, all 251 children enrolled at Peixin Kindergarten underwent testing, revealing that 233 showed elevated blood lead levels, and some of them are still receiving medical care in hospitals. During a raid on the kindergarten, investigators confiscated a cache of hazardous powdered pigments.Peixin Kindergarten had only started accepting students in August 2022 after securing its qualification certificate that June. The recent incident highlights ongoing concerns about food safety within China, a topic that has historically drawn significant public attention due to previous scandals. Notably, Tianshui experienced a lead poisoning crisis in 2006, with no official explanation ever fully substantiated, further emphasizing the need for rigorous food safety oversight.
