The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a catering company involved in the mass food poisoning at Bytedance last year has pleaded guilty on behalf of the company on Wednesday (2 July).
Staff members of Bytedance, the company that owned TikTok, had eaten wok-fried diced chicken catered by Yunhaiyao — the caterer confirmed to be the likely cause of food poisoning in the victims.
CEO of Yunhaiyao, Lu Zhi Tao, pleaded guilty to a charge under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations and another charge under the Sale of Food Act.
ByteDance had lunch catered for its employees on 30 July 2024. The meal, food from Yunhaiyao and another caterer, was served at the canteen at One Raffles Quay.
60 people who consumed the meal prepared by Yunhaiyao suffered from abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. They were then taken to various hospitals.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
The food was found to contain excessive amounts of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that produces toxins in food that is not cooked or stored properly.
It can also be transmitted through people with the bacteria, who have poor hygiene and handle food without first washing their hands.
Consuming such contaminated foods may cause gastroenteritis symptoms.
According to food regulations, fewer than 100 colony-forming units per gram of the bacteria can be found in food.
However, more than 200,000 colony-forming units were found in a sample obtained by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
The pathogen count discovered in the chicken rendered it “unsuitable for consumption”, the SFA prosecutor said.
The day after the incident, SFA found a cockroach infestation at Yunhaiyao’s food preparation premises.
Source: Google Maps
There, they discovered at least 10 live cockroaches beneath a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack.
Staff members immediately disposed of the infested material, said the prosecutor.
The SFA prosecutor sought a total fine of S$5,500 for Yunhaiyao as this was the company’s first offence.
However, District Judge Janet Wang adjourned the sentencing, saying more information was needed as the extent of harm caused is unclear.
Noting the “huge public interest in this case”, she asked for more information, including the extent of the injuries to the victims.
Apart from that, she requested to know how many required medical intervention, how many were hospitalised, and given hospitalisation leave.
Sentencing and mitigation was adjourned to 17 July.
Also read: Catered food caused mass food poisoning at ByteDance, SFA to take enforcement actions
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Lianhe Zaobao.