Shanxi's school meal fraud exposed, prompting major reforms

Authorities in China's Shanxi province have uncovered widespread misuse of school meal funds, leading to disciplinary action against nearly 2,000 people and a sweeping overhaul of food safety and financial oversight in schools.

The decision, as well as the investigation process, was made public during a three-episode news feature Huhang, or Convoy, aired on Shanxi Satellite Television recently. The investigation, launched in April last year by the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, targeted corruption in school meal programs.

A case at Fenxi No 2 Middle School in Linfen city brought the issue into focus, unveiling fraudulent accounting and misappropriation of student meal funds.

Investigators found that Zhao Mengsuo, the school's former principal, exploited financial loopholes to embezzle approximately 4.2 million yuan ($580,000) in meal funds. Working with his brother, who was the school's primary food supplier, and a former colleague managing the cafeteria, Zhao falsified food invoices and duplicated expense claims. As a result, only about 60 percent of the budgeted food expenses reached students, with meals often substituted with lower-quality ingredients.

"Students' meals, which should have been a priority, instead became an opportunity for personal profit," an investigator said in the news feature.

Following the investigation, Zhao was expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public service in August. His case has been referred to prosecutors for possible criminal charges. Seventeen other individuals faced disciplinary actions.

As part of broader reforms, local education authorities have introduced stricter financial oversight, replacing cash transactions with digital payments, enforcing separate accounting for meal funds, and requiring open bidding for food suppliers. Schools have also set up public expenditure reports and hired parents as cafeteria monitors to improve transparency and food quality.

Since the crackdown began, provincial authorities have investigated 1,827 cases of school meal fund embezzlement, procurement fraud, and kickbacks, resulting in 1,994 people being punished . More than 3,600 schools in Shanxi have established parent-led meal supervision committees, and whistleblower incentives have been introduced to report corruption.

Authorities say the reforms aim to ensure that school meals provide proper nutrition for students rather than serving as a source of illicit gains. "School meals should be safe, nutritious, and transparent," said a spokesperson for Shanxi's disciplinary watchdogs. "We are determined to prevent such abuses in the future."