August 11, 2025
TIANSHUI – Meals mixed with pigments that contained lead were served at a kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu Province, China, resulting in more than 200 children being hospitalized for poisoning.
Parents have become increasingly frustrated following a series of food safety incidents in China’s education field. Given the situation, the Chinese government has begun to strengthen measures.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency and other sources, the staff at the kindergarten had been adding the toxic pigments labeled “inedible” to steamed buns and other foods, which were served to children, since May 2024.
The pigments were added to improve the appearance of meals in an effort to attract the new kindergartners.
Among 251 preschoolers, 235 were hospitalized, with some displaying such symptoms as hair loss, tooth discoloration and abdominal pain. Local authorities found that lead levels detected in the kindergarteners’ meals were 2,000 times higher than the government’s permissible limit, following an investigation conducted in early July this year.
In late July, multiple public security vehicles were seen near the kindergarten, and men believed to be plain-clothed security personnel were keeping a close watch. A few days earlier, hundreds of parents and guardians caused a commotion at the kindergarten.
Government-run media have stressed that local authorities responded to the matter quickly by reporting that antidotes have been made available to those who are heavily affected.
However, distrust remains strong among people, including parents.
After a hospital that conducted blood tests on the affected children was discovered to have falsified test results, some parents have taken their children to other cities, such as Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, and Shanghai for medical treatment.
In response to the lead-poisoning incident, UNICEF issued a statement, saying, “Exposure to even small amounts of lead can cause long-term damage to children’s developing bodies and brains.”
One parent said: “The damage to my child’s health may last a lifetime. I can’t trust anything.”
Food safety issues have repeatedly occurred in the education field in China, including an incident in May this year when large insects were found among cooking utensils at a school in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province.
In the wake of the incident in Gansu Province, the State Administration for Market Regulation formulated guidelines for companies that provide food to kindergartens as well as elementary and junior high schools. The guidelines include such rules as requiring providers to post their cooking processes online and make it public. Such rules are set to be implemented from December.