[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] A video showing a floor mop being washed inside a cooking pot at the cafeteria of a well-known kindergarten in China has sparked public outrage.
Dozens of children at the kindergarten developed vomiting symptoms and received medical treatment as a result.
According to The Paper and other Chinese media outlets, several children at a university-affiliated kindergarten in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, experienced nausea and vomiting after lunch. The children's parents collectively asked the kindergarten about the cause of the symptoms, but received no official explanation.
The issue came to light when Wang, who had worked as the kindergarten's school nurse and food-service safety officer, exposed hygiene problems at the cafeteria.
According to information disclosed by Wang, cafeteria staff had taken food ingredients without authorization, while the washing areas had been used for purposes unrelated to their intended functions. There were also allegations that the sink used to wash vegetables had been used to soak window screens, wash hair and clean shoes.
The most controversial issue involved the use of the cooking pots. Photos released by Wang showed a kitchen worker placing a drain cover and a floor mop into a pot used to cook food for children and staff, and washing them there. Wang claimed to have reported these problems to the principal several times, but said no improvements were made.
As the controversy grew, local authorities launched an investigation and said they had found serious problems with the cafeteria's hygiene management.
As a result, the kindergarten principal was dismissed, while the vice principal responsible for the operations also stepped down. One cook was fired, and 11 officials from the relevant local government, market regulation bureau and education bureau were also sanctioned, receiving warnings and administrative penalties, among other measures.
Parents at the kindergarten claimed that about 50 children developed vomiting symptoms at the time because of the cafeteria's unsanitary management.
However, an official investigation by the authorities counted approximately 20 children.
The authorities stated, "We will do our utmost to assess the hygiene conditions in food-service areas at educational facilities and prevent similar incidents from happening again."
Jang Jong-ho, reporter bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
