ByteDance mass food poisoning: Catering company pleads guilty

SINGAPORE: The chief executive of a caterer involved in a mass food poisoning case pleaded guilty on behalf of the company in court on Wednesday (Jul 2).

The hearing revealed that staff members of ByteDance, the company that owned TikTok, had consumed wok-fried diced chicken catered by Yunhaiyao that contained staphylococcus aureus bacteria exceeding what is allowed.

When the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) investigated the Yun Nans outlet at Northpoint City, they found more than 10 live cockroaches. Yunhaiyao operates the Yun Nans chain of restaurants.

Mr Lu Zhi Tao, CEO of Yunhaiyao, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations for the cockroaches, and another charge under the Sale of Food Act.

This is for selling the wok fried diced chicken dish to ByteDance when it was "not of the quality demanded by ByteDance", since it contained staphylococcus aureus counts exceeding allowed limits.

Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, is a bacteria that can cause food poisoning. It produces toxins in food that is not cooked or stored properly, or through people with the bacteria who have poor hygiene and handle food without first washing their hands.

More than 200,000 colony-forming units per gram of staphylococcus aureus counts were found in a sample obtained by SFA. Food regulations state that fewer than 100 colony-forming units can be found in food.

The pathogen count found in the chicken made it "unsuitable for consumption", said the SFA prosecutor. Consuming such food items may cause gastroenteritis symptoms.

ByteDance had catered lunch for its employees on Jul 30 last year. The meal was served at the canteen at One Raffles Quay and involved food from Yunhaiyao and another caterer. 

Sixty people who consumed the meal prepared by Yunhaiyao suffered from abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, and were taken to different hospitals.

SFA's National Centre for Food Science confirmed that the chicken dish prepared by Yunhaiyao was the likely cause of staphylococcus aureus food poisoning in the victims.

A day after the incident, SFA inspected Yunhaiyao's food preparation premises and discovered a cockroach infestation.

More than 10 live cockroaches were found beneath a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack on Yunhaiyao's premises. Staff members immediately disposed of the infested material, the prosecutor said.

SFA prosecutor Mohd Rizal asked for a total fine of S$5,500 (US$4,300) for Yunhaiyao. This is the company's first offence.

However, District Judge Janet Wang adjourned sentencing, saying more information was needed as the extent of harm caused "is not clear".

She said there is "huge public interest in this case" and asked for information including the extent of the injuries to the victims, how many required medical intervention, how many were hospitalised and how many were given hospitalisation leave.

Mitigation and sentencing was adjourned to Jul 17.