China warns officials, fires kindergarten principal over 'mops in cooking pots' scandal

Eleven officials have been disciplined and a kindergarten principal removed after a Nanjing inquiry confirmed kitchen staff washed mops and drain covers in the wok used to cook children's lunches. The scandal surfaced after a departing teacher reported unsanitary practices, including children falling ill with nausea and vomiting.

On June 30, the last day of the spring term, multiple children at the Affiliated Kindergarten of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in Jiangsu province exhibited symptoms such as nausea and vomiting after lunch. Parents pressed for an explanation throughout the summer, but received none until September 14, when the kindergarten's health teacher and canteen safety officer, surnamed Wang, posted on her personal WeChat Moments feed her observations of the kitchen's practices. She alleged that kitchen staff took food privately from stores, washed mosquito nets, hair, and shoes in the vegetable sink, and used the cooking wok to scrub drain covers and wash out mops.

Wang stated she had repeatedly reported the issues to the principal, but nothing changed, prompting her to quit and report the practices from outside. Her post brought the June 30 incident, which had been unaddressed for two and a half months, into the public eye.

A joint investigation group from the district health commission, market regulator, and education bureau confirmed Wang's allegations on September 17. Principal Zou was judged to have concealed the kitchen's problems, and her deputy, in charge of logistics, was also disciplined. Pancheng Street, the kindergarten's supervising body, mishandled the initial vomiting incident, while the district market regulator's inspections were deemed insufficient, and the district education bureau's oversight fell short. Penalties ranged from severe party warnings to recorded demerits, with the two school leaders stripped of their posts. The cook was also fired.