Company controller held in custody over school lunch contamination scandal

Shanghai police have launched an investigation into a school lunch contamination incident and taken those responsible into custody, authorities announced late on Tuesday.​

In a joint statement from the city's public security bureau, education commission, and market supervision and administration bureau, officials said Shanghai Lujie Industrial Development Co Ltd – known in English as Green Express – a major local student meal supplier, is suspected of covering up a shrimp contamination case that affected 211 local schools.​

An initial probe was launched on September 16, after authorities received public reports alleging quality issues with shrimp and scrambled eggs served in lunches at several local schools.​

Investigators found that on September 15, a Lujie manager surnamed Sun, assigned to a primary school in downtown Jing'an District, discovered worms in an 18-kilogram batch of frozen shrimp delivered to the campus.

Sun immediately reported the issue to Qian, the company's quality control director, who passed it on to Zhang, Lujie's actual controller. Zhang then ordered employees to recall and destroy all shrimp ingredients supplied to 211 school campuses, plus any dishes made with the shrimp.​

But on the next day, September 16, Zhang instructed the company's general manager, Dong, to lie about the cause of the recall – claiming it stemmed from "sediment overflowing from shrimp intestines." This deliberate cover-up prompted police to open a criminal investigation and detained relevant individuals, the joint statement noted.​

Of the 211 affected schools, 161 recalled the shrimp ingredients, as well as semi-finished and finished dishes made with them. Fifty schools, however, had already served the lunches before receiving the recall notice.​

The problematic frozen South American white shrimp was produced on March 20, with a 24-month shelf life. The shrimp came with valid inspection and quarantine certificates and test reports, as required by regulations, said the statement.

Laboratory tests found no salmonella, vibrio parahaemolyticus, or staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin in samples of the affected meals. Reassuring results were also found from tests on unused stock of the same shrimp batch, officials added.​

Beyond the police investigation, market regulators have sealed all remaining stock of the affected shrimp and launched an administrative probe. A joint taskforce has been stationed at Lujie to oversee quality control, while a state-owned enterprise has temporarily taken over the company's daily operations to ensure stable meal supply to schools, according to the statement.

The city's education authority announced stricter safeguard, including enhanced regular and random inspections of food supplies, plus expanded participation from parents, industry experts, and third-party organizations in oversight.​

Across Shanghai, districts will conduct comprehensive reviews of school meal procurement bids. Any illegal or irregular practices uncovered will result in contract termination and a re-tendering process, the statement emphasized.​

Schools will release schedules when principals dine with students and invite more parents to participate. Districts will commission third-party agencies to conduct full-coverage anonymous surveys each semester, with supplier adjustments made based on the results.