A suspected collective food poisoning incident occurred in ByteDance's Singapore office, with about 60 employees experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis after eating meals provided by the company. On Wednesday morning, authorities investigated the outlet of YUN NANS, one of the Chinese food suppliers, but the restaurant has been suspended.
The food poisoning incident occurred on Tuesday at ByteDance's Singapore office at One Raffles Quay. A female employee who did not want to be named told the media that colleagues with symptoms of food poisoning went to the cafeteria on the 26th floor of the office for lunch at noon. After eating the buffet Chinese food, they began to feel unwell, vomiting and diarrhea, and someone eventually called the emergency number. She added: "From about 3 pm, I heard the sirens of the ambulances constantly sounding, and colleagues who were unwell lined up downstairs to be sent to the hospital."
The authorities then investigated Yunhai's branch in and took samples of related ingredients. An employee revealed that the company has a total of 6 cafeterias, of which the cafeteria on the 26th floor is more popular and often has long queues. Another employee mentioned: "At least one or two hundred people ate the buffet here yesterday."
The Civil Defence Force began receiving multiple calls for help at around 3:15 pm on Tuesday and dispatched 17 ambulances to the scene. The Civil Defence Force also set up a first aid point at the scene to provide assistance to those affected.
In response to media inquiries, the Singapore Food Agency and the Ministry of Health said that the authorities are investigating the gastroenteritis incident at ByteDance's office. The spokesperson said that as of July 30, 60 people had developed symptoms of gastroenteritis, of which 57 had sought medical treatment. The spokesperson also said: "The Food Agency will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any business that violates the rules."
According to employees, the two restaurants that provided Chinese food for the canteen on the 26th floor on Tuesday included Tian and Yunhai. A spokesperson for Tian Restaurant said: "As far as we know, the people who showed symptoms of food poisoning did not eat the food we provided. We are working with the authorities and waiting for the results of the investigation." It is understood that some of the food supplied by Yunhai may come from its branch in Yishun Nafong City.
After the incident, the relevant restaurants suspended business, and more than 10 authorities entered and exited the kitchen and store for investigation. Some ingredients were put into plastic bags and taken away, and some staff members took samples with test tubes. The smell of vomiting filled the office corridors and elevators. The company distributed vomit bags to employees, and some employees left early due to concerns about infection.
An anonymous female employee said that on Tuesday afternoon, many toilets in the office were vomiting, causing the toilets to be crowded and even blocked, and the cleaners were very busy. She also pointed out that some employees left early for fear of infection, and the company began to dismiss employees at around 4 pm.
Some employees suspected that the food contained spoiled chicken, which caused the poisoning. According to a male employee, the company has been providing buffet lunch since the first half of a year, and each cafeteria provides about 10 dishes a day, including fruits and desserts. In addition to the cafeteria on the 26th floor involved in the incident, other cafeterias also provide Malay food, Indian food, Western food, etc. He revealed that the Yunhai menu on Tuesday included potato salad, Hong Kong-style fried noodles, pickled pork, stir-fried diced chicken, braised shrimp, stir-fried bean sprouts, stir-fried kale, chili chicken gizzards, bitter melon and pork ribs soup, and fruit. He said: "Some people think it's the meat, some think it's the fruit. It's not clear which dish caused the problem, and we are still waiting for the company's investigation results."
An employee who had eaten in the cafeteria on the 26th floor told the media that he had eaten rice, bean sprouts, chicken gizzards, shrimp and pickled pork at noon, but did not show symptoms of food poisoning. He said: "I didn't eat chicken, fruit and soup. I was really lucky to be able to work normally in the afternoon."
The company has blocked the affected area and closed the cafeteria on the 26th floor. The company issued a notice at around 5 pm on Tuesday to explain the situation to employees. The company confirmed that some employees felt unwell after eating, and set up a temporary medical assistance station on the 20th floor, while temporarily closing the cafeteria on the 26th floor until the investigation is completed. The notice also pointed out that the company will conduct a thorough investigation of the meals, conduct tests to find out the cause, and conduct deep cleaning of the cafeteria and comprehensive disinfection of the surrounding toilets.
An employee who did not want to be named said that the incident caused many office toilets to be full and the cleaners were very busy. Other employees said that some people suspected that the incident was related to spoiled chicken, but the specific cause was still unclear.
ByteDance reminded employees to pay attention to official notifications and said it would continue to follow up on the results of the investigation and the time to resume normal operations.
Wilfred
