Local Chinese authorities have issued warnings and demerits to 11 officials and dismissed the entire kitchen staff at a kindergarten following a teacher’s revelation about unsanitary practices, including washing dirty mops in cooking pots.
On June 30, several children at the Affiliated Kindergarten of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in Jiangsu province exhibited symptoms such as nausea and vomiting during and after lunch.
Parents had been inquiring about the kindergarten’s hygiene throughout the summer break, but they received no official response until September.
The situation came to light when a health teacher and canteen safety supervisor, referred to as Wang, disclosed the issues on her social media account.
She detailed various unhygienic practices in the kindergarten kitchen, including washing mops and drain covers in cooking pots and disinfecting mosquito nets in food preparation sinks. Allegations also surfaced regarding staff members stealing food ingredients.
Wang shared photographs she had taken of staff members involved in these unsanitary practices with the Xinmin Evening News. Despite her repeated reports to the kindergarten principal, the issues remained unresolved.
Initially, the kindergarten and the local neighbourhood office refuted Wang’s claims, accusing her of spreading rumours.
However, after reviewing surveillance footage that corroborated her allegations, the kindergarten principal attempted to deflect blame, claiming Wang had directed the staff to engage in these unhygienic behaviours.
Seeking justice, Wang blew the whistle on the kindergarten after resigning. She admitted to hesitating for two days before taking this significant step, fearing it would jeopardise her chances of employment in the industry. Nevertheless, she firmly asserted the importance of not failing the children and maintaining a sense of conscience.
On September 22, the district government formed an investigative team, which confirmed the “serious problems” present in the kindergarten kitchen. Following the investigation, they fired the principal, the deputy principal responsible for logistics, and all kitchen staff.
Additionally, 11 officials from the neighbourhood office, district administration for market regulation, and district education bureau received warnings and demerits for their failure to fulfil supervisory duties.
Wang expressed relief upon seeing the announcement. “The children there can eat clean food now,” she said.
Some people raised concerns regarding the lack of criminal liability pursued against the kindergarten principal.
Under China’s Criminal Law, personnel responsible for food and drug safety supervision who neglect their duties leading to severe consequences may face imprisonment of up to five years.
However, this provision specifies that it applies to “a functionary of a state organ.”
In May, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Education jointly issued new guidelines regarding food safety in kindergartens, effective from June. These guidelines clarify that the principal bears primary responsibility for food safety but do not specify the potential criminal repercussions for those in charge.
In a notable case from 2021, a restaurant owner was sentenced to seven years in prison for selling pork ribs containing nitrite to a primary school, resulting in food poisoning for 56 students.
In 2025, a Gansu kindergarten principal, investor, and kitchen staff faced criminal custody after 247 children and 28 staff members suffered severe lead poisoning due to the deliberate addition of toxic decorative paint to school meals.
An online observer questioned: “If the responsible parties are not subjected to severe penalties, how can we prevent similar food safety issues from recurring?” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
