Nursery owner in China jailed for life after hundreds of children poisoned

A nursery owner and five members of her staff have been jailed after they were found to have poisoned more than 200 children with lead-tainted food.Li Huifang, who operated the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, in the Gansu province, was sentenced to life in prison for producing and selling toxic and harmful food, according to Chinese state media.In July 2025, 247 pupils and staff at the nursery were found to have abnormally high blood lead levels after children began falling ill.A report into the incident found that chefs at Heshi Peixin had used inedible paint to "enhance the look" of its meals to attract more students - despite the paint being being clearly marked as such.In addition to the sentence, the Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court also ordered the confiscation of 500,000 yuan (£56,200; $74,700) of Li's personal assets, state broadcaster CCTV reported.Nursery executive principal Zhi Jinglin was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,00 yuan. Four other members of staff who worked in the nursery's kitchen received sentences of between six to eight years, according to state media.The court found the four had been instructed by Li and Zhi to add toxic and harmfu...