Following food poisoning among hundreds of ByteDance Singapore employees: CEO of Yunhaiyao pleads guilty on behalf of the company

Tech Planet Comprehensive 03 Jul 2025 18:11

On July 3, it was reported that nearly a year later, the large-scale food poisoning case of employees in ByteDance Singapore ushered in the latest progress.

The CEO of a catering company suspected of collective food poisoning in Singapore pleaded guilty on behalf of the company in court on July 2nd. The hearing revealed that the employees of TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, ate the fried chicken cubes provided by Yunhai cuisine, and the content of Staphylococcus aureus in the chicken cubes exceeded the standard.

It is reported that the Singapore Food Authority (SFA) discovered over 10 live cockroaches during an investigation at Yun Nans restaurant in Northpoint City. Yunhaiyao CEO Lv Zhitao has admitted to one charge of violating the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations on cockroaches and another charge of violating the Food Sales Law. This is because the quality of fried diced chicken dishes sold to ByteDance does not meet the requirements of ByteDance, because the number of Staphylococcus aureus exceeds the allowable limit.

It is reported that at the end of July last year, the ByteDance Singapore office suspected a collective food poisoning incident. Several employees felt unwell after eating a Chinese buffet lunch in the canteen, and at least 60 people developed symptoms of gastroenteritis, 57 of whom went to the hospital for medical treatment.

In response to the media, a spokesman for ByteDance said: "We attach great importance to the health and safety of employees. The company has immediately taken measures to support all affected employees, including cooperating with the emergency response department to provide medical care for employees. At present, the company is cooperating with the relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the accident."

The Singapore Food Bureau and the Ministry of Health issued a notice on the evening of July 31 last year that 130 people had gastroenteritis symptoms after eating Yunhai Cuisine and the food supplied by Putian in the cafeteria on the 26th floor of One Raffles Quay, the Singapore office of ByteDance, and the Northpoint City branch of Yunhai Cuisine and Putian Central Kitchen were closed from now on until further notice.

On June 4 this year, the defendant of Yunhai Cuisine, a catering chain, went to court because of the collective food poisoning case of ByteDance in 2024. Specifically, the defendant was charged with a violation of the food sales law and a violation of the environmental and public health (food hygiene) regulations. This control shows that Yunhai Cuisine is alleged to contain Staphylococcus aureus on July 30, 2024 when the fried chicken dice supplied to ByteDance were detected, and the food quality did not meet the buyer's requirements. Representing Yunhaiyao is the CEO of the Singapore company, Lui Chi tao, who stated in court that the company intends to plead guilty and has no intention of hiring a lawyer. If convicted, Yunhaiyao will be fined SGD 5000 (approximately RMB 27917 in current exchange rate).

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