SINGAPORE: One of the two caterers involved in a mass food poisoning incident at the Singapore office of TikTok owner ByteDance last July was charged in court on Wednesday (Jun 4).
A total of 130 people reported having gastroenteritis symptoms, with 57 taken to the hospital on the day of the incident on Jul 30 last year.
The ByteDance office is located at One Raffles Quay, and the staff who fell ill had visited a canteen on the 26th floor of the building. The company engages licensed external vendors to cater food for its offices.
Caterer Yunhaiyao, which runs the Yun Nans chain of restaurants, was charged with two offences – one under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations and the other under the Sale of Food Act.
On Jul 30, 2024, Yunhaiyao allegedly sold food which was not of the quality demanded by ByteDance.
The caterer sold “wok-fried diced chicken” that was found to contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning, identified as “coagulase-positive staphylococcus aureus … with staphylococcus enterotoxin A genes” in a charge sheet.
The caterer is also said to have failed to ensure that its premises at Northpoint City were free from cockroach infestations.
On Jul 31, 2024, while engaged in the preparation of food for sale, Yunhaiyao’s premises were said to have more than 10 live cockroaches, found under a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack.
The company has indicated that it will plead guilty, and its next mention has been fixed for Jul 2.
The prosecution is seeking fines of S$3,500 and S$1,500 for the two charges.
POST INCIDENT
A day after the gastroenteritis incident, the health authorities suspended the food business operations of Yunhaiyao and Pu Tien Services, the second caterer involved.
Pu Tien Services, located at Senoko South Road, is the central and catering kitchen of Putien.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) had directed Yunhaiyao and Pu Tien Services to implement measures such as setting aside and disposing of all prepared food after the incident.
It described the ByteDance office incident as “one of the more serious food poisoning cases in recent years”.
Its investigations found that catered food was the cause of the illnesses.
SFA lifted the suspension on Pu Tien’s Senoko catering kitchen on Aug 10, and did the same for Yunhaiyao at Northpoint City on Aug 16 after both caterers complied with the order to dispose of ready-to-eat food, thawed food and perishable food items.
At the time that each caterer’s suspensions were lifted, SFA said that both caterers had cleaned and sanitised their premises, including equipment and utensils, and disinfected food preparation surfaces, tables and floors.
Their food handlers had also re-attended and passed a course on food safety, while their food hygiene officers re-attended and passed a Workforce Skills Qualifications course on conducting food and beverage hygiene audits.
SFA indicated in November that it would take enforcement action against the parties responsible for food safety lapses.
CNA has asked SFA if any enforcement action has been taken against Pu Tien Services.
If found to be in violation of food hygiene regulations, offenders can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,550) and, in the case of a continuing offence, fined a maximum of S$100 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.
For selling food that is not of quality, offenders can be fined up to S$5,000 for their first conviction.
