On October 16, parents voiced their outrage over claims that the cafeteria at Changfeng School in Kunming’s Guandu District served spoiled meat to students. One parent described the cafeteria’s meat as “smelling terrible.”
In response to the allegations regarding food safety at Changfeng School, the Guandu District established a joint investigation team. Today, the team released an update on their findings: a batch of fresh pork served at the school had spoiled due to improper transportation and storage. Consequently, the involved company was ordered to cease operations, the principal was dismissed, and both the Education Sports Bureau’s director and deputy director, as well as the deputy director of the District Market Supervision Bureau, were suspended for further investigation.
Regarding the cafeteria’s fresh pork, which parents reported as having an off odor, the investigation conducted by third-party organizations, including Kunming Food and Drug Inspection Institute and Yunnan Sanzheng Technical Testing Company, revealed that the volatile basic nitrogen content in the pork slices was 23.8 mg per 100 grams—exceeding the national safety standard of 15 mg per 100 grams, deeming it unfit for consumption. It was discovered that this batch of pork was slaughtered on October 16 and had complete quarantine and inspection certifications. However, after being machine-sliced, the meat was not allowed to cool before being packed in double-layer plastic bags and stored at room temperature for nearly four hours, leading to spoilage.
Additionally, concerning concerns about expired imported frozen beef labeled “2015,” investigators found that the production date for this beef was actually May 2024, and it had a shelf life of two years. The “2015 SIF” notation on the packaging referred to the registration number of the overseas manufacturer, not the production date.
Regarding the cafeteria’s management, Changfeng School, a private institution established by Yunnan Jinnuo Education Investment Holding Group in 2016, contracted Yunnan Runsheng Property Services to manage its cafeteria without informing the relevant educational authorities. The school failed to properly vet the service company’s qualifications, leading to inadequate oversight, and the principal did not fulfill their primary responsibility for food safety.
The investigation confirmed that while Yunnan Runsheng Property Services had a business license and food service permit, its permit only allowed for the sale of pre-packaged and bulk food items, not catering services. Consequently, they did not apply to change their business scope, violating regulations.
The conclusions and recommendations from the investigation are as follows:
1. The principal and legal representative of Changfeng School will face investigation for failing to uphold their educational responsibilities.
2. The school’s principal will be dismissed.
3. The school must restructure its board of directors and improve governance practices to enhance accountability and transparency.
4. The school is mandated to establish a robust food safety monitoring system and ensure that school leaders and parent representatives are involved in meal supervision.
5. Penalties will be imposed on the school for neglecting food safety responsibilities, including a warning and a fine of 100,000 yuan due to the sale of unqualified food products.
6. The city and district education departments will create a support team to oversee compliance and ensure educational stability.
For the involved companies:
1. Yunnan Runsheng Property Services will be required to cease operations, having violated regulations, with a fine of 5.68 million yuan and the forfeiture of 460,000 yuan in illegal profits.
2. Yunnan Caiyun-Jian Catering Management Company must also stop operations pending investigation.
Lastly, the Kunming disciplinary inspection and supervision team will oversee the investigation into related departments and officials, leading to temporary suspensions for the district’s education and market supervision officials.
(Correspondents Wang Xi and Chen Zheng contributed to this report.)
