Core Points - The "high-priced student milk" incident in Pinglu County, Shanxi Province, has drawn significant public attention due to the procurement prices being much higher than market rates [2][3] - Former head of the Pinglu County Education Bureau, Zhao Xinghui, was found guilty of accepting bribes related to procurement projects, totaling 1.02 million yuan, and was sentenced to three years and one month in prison [6][8] - The procurement process for student nutrition meals was claimed to be legal and compliant by the education bureau, but subsequent investigations revealed irregularities [5][6] Procurement Details - The winning bids for the student nutrition meal project included three companies with total bid amounts of 10.731 million yuan, 9.06 million yuan, and 7.548 million yuan, with each 200ml box of yogurt priced at 5 yuan [3][4] - Market comparisons showed that similar products from brands like Mengniu, Junlebao, and Yili were priced significantly lower, with prices around 2.41 to 2.7 yuan per box when purchased in bulk [4][5] Legal Proceedings - Zhao Xinghui's case revealed that he used his position to facilitate contracts for various projects, including student nutrition meal procurement, in exchange for bribes [6][9] - The largest single bribe received by Zhao was 500,000 yuan from a security service company, which was linked to a school security project [7][8] - Following the public outcry over the high-priced milk, the Pinglu County Education Bureau announced the termination of the nutrition meal procurement project [8][9] Broader Implications - The incident highlights ongoing issues of corruption and lack of transparency in government procurement processes, which undermine public trust and fair market practices [10] - Experts suggest that reforms are needed to enhance transparency, reduce human intervention, and establish strict penalties for corrupt practices in government procurement [10]