China’s Worst School Food Safety Scandal in Years: What Happened at Peixin Kindergarten?
In July 2025, a shocking scandal erupted in Tianshui, Gansu province, northwestern China, when hundreds of children at Peixin Kindergarten were found to have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. The incident, which quickly became one of China’s worst school food safety crises in decades, exposed not only grave lapses in food safety but also a deliberate cover-up by local officials and hospital staff. The fallout has triggered national outrage, protests, and a renewed debate about governance, public trust, and the safety of China’s youngest citizens.
At the heart of the scandal was a misguided attempt by school administrators to make meals more visually appealing. In pursuit of higher enrollment, the kindergarten’s principal and staff added industrial-grade pigments—containing lead at levels hundreds of thousands of times above legal limits—to food served to children. The result: over 230 children hospitalized, dozens of officials implicated, and a nation demanding answers.
How Did the Poisoning Occur?
The origins of the crisis trace back to Peixin Kindergarten’s efforts to attract more students. According to multiple investigative reports, the school’s principal instructed kitchen staff to enhance the color and appearance of meals by adding bright pigments. These pigments, purchased online, were clearly labeled as inedible and intended for industrial use. Nevertheless, they were mixed into foods such as steamed red date cakes and sausage corn buns, which were then served to children and staff.
Lab tests later revealed the extent of the contamination: one pigment contained 209,890 milligrams of lead per kilogram—over 400,000 times China’s national food safety limit. Food samples from the kindergarten were found to have lead concentrations 2,000 times above the legal threshold. The school had previously used food-safe coloring, but switched to the industrial pigment for its more vivid appearance.
Children began to show symptoms including stomach pain, vomiting, nausea, and in some cases, blackened teeth. Parents, alarmed by their children’s deteriorating health, sought medical attention. Ultimately, 235 children were hospitalized, and subsequent testing confirmed that 247 children and 28 staff members had elevated blood lead levels.
What Is Lead Poisoning and Why Is It So Dangerous?
Lead is a toxic heavy metal that can cause severe health problems, especially in young children. When ingested, even in small amounts, lead can accumulate in the body and damage the nervous system, kidneys, and other organs. In children, lead poisoning can result in developmental delays, learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and, at high levels, seizures or death.
According to Professor Stuart Khan of the University of Sydney, blood lead concentrations as high as those found in the Tianshui children typically require regular exposure over weeks or months, unless there is an acute poisoning episode. In this case, the acute exposure from highly contaminated food led to rapid and severe symptoms.
How Did the Cover-Up Unfold?
As the scale of the poisoning became apparent, a web of misconduct and corruption was revealed. Investigations found that officials at every level—school administrators, hospital staff, local government, and disease control agencies—were complicit in covering up the incident.
Falsified Test Results and Bribery
The Gansu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Tianshui Second People’s Hospital were both found to have manipulated blood test results. Hospital staff altered records to underreport children’s lead levels, in some cases reducing reported values by a factor of seven. The CDC mishandled blood samples, allowing them to separate and degrade, which distorted the results. These actions delayed proper diagnosis and treatment for many children.
City officials accepted bribes from a kindergarten investor and neglected food safety inspections. The local education bureau allowed Peixin Kindergarten to operate without a valid license and had not inspected private kindergartens in the area for at least two years. The principal and an investor were found to have purchased the industrial pigment and approved its use in food, all in an effort to make the school’s meals look more appealing in promotional photos.
Parents Take Action Amid Distrust
As rumors of lead poisoning spread, some parents, distrustful of local authorities, took their children to hospitals in neighboring provinces for independent testing. These tests revealed much higher lead levels than those reported by local hospitals, confirming suspicions of a cover-up. One mother described her frustration:
“All the parents think food is not the actual source of the lead poisoning. But we don’t know the exact reasons… how are we supposed to know anything? Ordinary folks like us probably have no clue – only the government knows what’s really going on.”
Public anger grew as details of the cover-up emerged. Videos circulated online showing parents protesting outside the kindergarten, clashing with police, and demanding accountability. Some of these videos were quickly censored on Chinese social media, but continued to circulate on overseas platforms.
Who Has Been Held Accountable?
The official investigation, led by the Gansu provincial Communist Party committee and government, resulted in a wave of arrests and disciplinary actions:
- Six people—including the principal, cooks, and an investor—were arrested for knowingly serving toxic food and attempting to cover up the incident.
- Ten officials face formal accounting procedures, and 17 others are under disciplinary investigation for oversight failures, accepting bribes, and falsifying records.
- Senior officials at the provincial health commission, municipal government, and district administration are among those under review.
The provincial party committee issued a public apology, expressing deep sorrow for the suffering of the children and their families. Authorities pledged free medical care, ongoing monitoring, psychological support, and legal assistance for affected families. Peixin Kindergarten has been placed under temporary state management, and affected children are guaranteed enrollment at other schools.
Why Did This Happen? Systemic Failures and Governance Issues
The Gansu kindergarten scandal has reignited longstanding concerns about food safety, corruption, and regulatory failures in China. Experts and commentators point to several systemic issues:
- Weak Oversight: The local education bureau had not inspected private kindergartens for two years, allowing Peixin to operate without a license and evade scrutiny.
- Corruption and Bribery: Officials accepted bribes from school investors, undermining the integrity of food safety inspections and licensing.
- Pressure to Avoid Scandal: Local officials, under pressure to maintain a positive image, often seek to suppress bad news rather than address problems transparently. This “passive feedback mechanism” makes it difficult for the public to obtain accurate information.
- Lack of Whistleblower Protection: China’s hierarchical administrative system offers little protection for those who try to expose wrongdoing, contributing to a culture of cover-up.
One political scientist told the South China Morning Post that the slow response to the incident showed how local officials try to avoid taking responsibility. The falsification of test results, he said, may have been motivated by pressure to avoid blame or by personal profit.
Public Outrage and Distrust: A Crisis of Confidence
The scandal has struck a nerve in a country already wary of food safety and government transparency. Memories of past crises—such as the 2008 melamine-tainted baby milk powder scandal and the early cover-up of the COVID-19 outbreak—have fueled public skepticism.
On social media, many users questioned the credibility of the government’s investigation and the reliability of state media coverage. Some parents pointed to discrepancies between blood test results from different provinces, while others demanded to know why the school would use industrial pigment instead of cheaper, food-safe coloring. Independent blogs and citizen journalists have investigated the case, sometimes attracting tens of thousands of views before being censored.
Prominent figures, such as Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, called for authorities to provide ample information to restore public trust. The government’s promise of reforms and new guidelines has been met with skepticism, as many believe existing rules were already ignored.
What Reforms and Responses Have Been Announced?
In response to the scandal, Chinese authorities have announced several measures aimed at restoring confidence and preventing future incidents:
- New National Guidelines: China published new rules for campus meal safety, requiring that every new batch of food be tested and that staple ingredients like rice, flour, and cooking oil be purchased from centralized, regulated suppliers.
- Free Medical Care and Legal Support: Affected children are receiving free treatment at designated hospitals, and families have access to legal assistance.
- Temporary State Management: Peixin Kindergarten is now under government control, with support offices and counseling services established for families.
- Ongoing Monitoring: Authorities have pledged continued medical and psychological support for affected children, as well as financial assistance for families facing hardship.
Despite these steps, many parents and observers remain unconvinced that the underlying issues—corruption, weak oversight, and lack of transparency—have been fully addressed.
Broader Implications: Food Safety, Governance, and Public Trust in China
The Gansu kindergarten lead poisoning scandal is more than a local tragedy; it is a reflection of broader challenges facing China’s food safety system and governance. The incident has exposed vulnerabilities in the regulation of private education, the enforcement of health standards, and the accountability of local officials.
China has experienced a series of food safety crises over the past two decades, from tainted baby formula to contaminated cooking oil. Each incident has prompted promises of reform, but enforcement remains inconsistent, especially at the local level. The Gansu case has reignited debate about the effectiveness of China’s regulatory system and the need for independent oversight.
Perhaps most significantly, the scandal has deepened public mistrust of local authorities. As one mother put it, “Only the government knows what’s really going on.” The lack of transparency, the manipulation of test results, and the suppression of dissent have all contributed to a crisis of confidence that will not be easily repaired.
In Summary
- Over 230 children at Peixin Kindergarten in Gansu, China, were hospitalized with lead poisoning after eating food colored with industrial-grade pigment.
- School staff, including the principal, knowingly used inedible pigment to make meals look more appealing and attract more students.
- Local officials, hospital staff, and disease control agencies covered up the incident by falsifying test results and accepting bribes.
- Six people have been arrested, and dozens of officials are under investigation or disciplinary review.
- The scandal has triggered national outrage, protests, and a crisis of public trust in local governance and food safety oversight.
- Chinese authorities have announced new guidelines, free medical care, and temporary state management of the kindergarten, but public skepticism remains high.
- The case highlights systemic issues of corruption, weak oversight, and lack of transparency in China’s food safety and governance systems.
