ByteDance food poisoning case: Eatery chain charged, chicken dish allegedly had bacteria
SINGAPORE: Eatery chain Yun Hai Yao was hauled to court on Wednesday (June 4) over the ByteDance mass food poisoning case in 2024 which affected 169 people.
The wok-fried diced chicken it catered to ByteDance's office in One Raffles Quay on July 30, 2024, allegedly contained bacteria, according to court documents.
More than 10 live cockroaches were also allegedly found on Yun Hai Yao's premises in Northpoint City on July 31 the same year.
The company, which is from China, and more commonly known here as Yun Nans, faces two charges – one under the Sale of Food Act and another under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations.
A Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecutor said the agency was seeking a S$5,000 fine in total for the two charges.
Yun Hai Yao's chief executive Lu Zhi Tao appeared in court on behalf of the company. He told the court the company intends to plead guilty and is not engaging a lawyer.
Charge sheets state that Yun Hai Yao's chicken dish catered to ByteDance had coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus counts with Staphylococcus enterotoxin A genes.
The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is commonly found in the environment and on human skin or in noses.
It can cause food poisoning when it is introduced into food during the production process, particularly when good hand hygiene is not practised.
Symptoms can include sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
Meanwhile, the cockroaches at the eatery's Northpoint City outlet were found beneath a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack on the licensed premises, according to court documents.
The company is scheduled to plead guilty on July 2.
Yun Hai Yao, along with another caterer, Pu Tien Services, had been suspended by SFA from July 31, 2024, after 169 people at ByteDance had gastroenteritis after eating food supplied by the two caterers.
A total of 17 people were hospitalised after the food poisoning incident.
Pu Tien Services was given the green light by SFA on Aug 10 that year to resume operations.
Yun Hai Yao's suspension was lifted by SFA on Aug 16 after it took the necessary measures, including cleaning and sanitising its premises, and disinfecting food preparation surfaces, tables and floors. - The Straits Times/ANN
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