Recently in China, the issue of food safety continues to arise, affecting minors directly. In Liaoning Benxi, parents have exposed a shocking incident at the Wulidian School canteen where children were fed leftover food poured into dog food bags. Outraged parents arrived at the school demanding an explanation, with some parents breaking down in tears on the spot.
According to several parents from Wulidianzi Town in Benxi, Liaoning, the incident took place on December 19. A parent had come to the school at lunchtime to bring food for their child. When passing by the kitchen, they witnessed canteen staff pouring the leftover rice from students into a dog food bucket, intending to feed it to the dogs.
Before parents could voice their concerns, another staff member in the canteen remarked that the children’s meals for the day were “a bit insufficient, what should we do?” The staff member pouring the rice into the dog food bucket paused, stating it was too late to prepare new food. Shockingly, the staff member then scooped the rice from the dog food bucket back into the children’s bowls to serve them.
Upon witnessing this, parents intervened, but the staff refused to acknowledge their wrongdoings. As the situation escalated, some students also reported finding teeth marks in their meals and instances of food poisoning, with some even describing the rice as appearing dirty.
Subsequently, a group of parents gathered again at the school canteen to inspect the surveillance footage. The footage revealed a pattern of canteen staff dumping leftover food from students into the dog food bucket and, when the food was insufficient, directly using the same spoon from the dog food bucket to serve the students. This behavior was not an isolated incident, as shown by the surveillance recordings.
After watching the footage, some parents were outraged, while others were in tears questioning the difference between feeding the children dog food.
Parents shared their experiences and observations in a parent group, and reported the incident to the Education Bureau, Market Supervision Administration, and the police. More parents rushed to the school to review the surveillance footage, but the school adamantly refused access, leading to a confrontation where the police were called to maintain order.
According to insiders, the parents stayed at the school for a day hoping for a reasonable explanation, but the school principal and canteen staff did not show up. Frustrated, the parents took to social media to expose the situation.
Online commentators have expressed shock and anger over the incident, questioning if it constitutes poisoning. Suggestions ranged from implementing real-time surveillance in canteen kitchens to bringing packed meals from home as a precautionary measure.
This incident adds to a string of food safety issues in China, following the “Yunnan School Rotten Meat Event” that occurred in October. Parents filmed and complained about the foul smell of raw meat at the Longfeng School canteen in the Yuzi Zhong Middle School in Guandu District, Yunnan. Authorities later attributed the issue to improper transportation and storage of the pork, leading to spoilage. The aftermath saw limited consequences for the implicated businesses, schools, and lower-ranking officials.
The situation remains under scrutiny, with authorities and government departments investigating the matter. The incident has sparked public concerns over food safety standards and the protection of minors.