Latest news with #MohdRizal
Online Citizen
5 days ago
- Health
- Online Citizen
Yunhaiyao fined S$7,000 for food poisoning case affecting 171 ByteDance staff in Singapore
SINGAPORE: Yunhaiyao, a catering company known for operating the Yun Nans chain of restaurants in Singapore, was fined S$7,000 on 17 July 2025. The fine was issued over a mass food poisoning incident last year that affected employees at ByteDance Singapore. According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, Lu Zhi Tao, chief executive officer of Yunhaiyao, appeared in court to receive the sentence on behalf of the company. Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecutor Mohd Rizal told the court that a total of 171 victims suffered gastroenteritis symptoms. Of these, 60 victims were sent to hospital for treatment. Twenty-two of them were warded for one to three days. The remaining 38 received outpatient care or self-medicated at home. District Judge Janet Wang described the number of victims as 'staggering' and noted it was fortunate that there were no fatalities. Investigations revealed that the affected ByteDance employees had eaten wok-fried diced chicken catered by Yunhaiyao. Tests showed the dish contained staphylococcus aureus bacteria far exceeding permissible limits. According to SFA, more than 200,000 colony-forming units per gram were found in a sample of the chicken. Food safety regulations state that food should contain fewer than 100 colony-forming units. Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, can cause food poisoning when food is not cooked or stored properly. It can also spread through poor hygiene practices among food handlers. Further checks by SFA at the Yun Nans outlet in Northpoint City uncovered more than 10 live cockroaches. Yunhaiyao pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations for the cockroach infestation. It also pleaded guilty to a second charge under the Sale of Food Act for selling food that failed to meet the standards demanded by ByteDance. Prosecutor Mohd Rizal had requested a total fine of S$5,500 for Yunhaiyao. This is the company's first food safety offence in Singapore. Yunhaiyao, founded in 2009 in China, has expanded to include over a dozen outlets in major Chinese cities. Annual sales for the company exceed 1 billion yuan (approximately S$200 million). Lu established the first overseas Yunhaiyao outlet in Singapore in 2019 after relocating with his family.
New Paper
03-07-2025
- Health
- New Paper
ByteDance food poisoning: Catering firm convicted after cockroaches found on premises
Catering company Yunhaiyao, which was involved in the ByteDance mass food poisoning case, has been convicted after cockroaches were found on its premises. The wok-fried diced chicken prepared by the company was also found to have contained more than 2,000 times the acceptable level of pathogens. Yunhaiyao's chief executive Lu Zhi Tao appeared in court on July 2 on behalf of the company and pleaded guilty to one charge under the Sale of Food Act and another under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations. Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecuting officer Mohd Rizal told the court that on July 30, 2024, the agency was alerted to an incident of gastroenteritis involving 60 victims, who were the staff of ByteDance. The victims had suffered abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming catered lunches prepared by Yunhaiyao. Among the dishes from Yunhaiyao's menu sent for food analysis was the wok-fried diced chicken. The meat was found to contain over 200,000 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of Staphylococcus aureus, a type of pathogen. This exceeded the specified levels of less than 100 CFU per gram. The prosecutor said pathogens exceeding this amount would make the food unsuitable for consumption and that eating such food may cause symptoms of gastroenteritis. During the inspection of Yunhaiyao's food preparation premises, SFA officers also discovered more than 10 live cockroaches beneath a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack. Yunhaiyao's staff immediately disposed of the infested material, said the prosecutor. Before a sentence was meted out, District Judge Janet Wang adjourned the case, seeking more information on how many victims needed medical intervention and how many were hospitalised, among other things. Lu, on behalf of Yunhaiyao, is expected to return to court on July 17 for mitigation and sentencing.
The Star
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Singapore's ByteDance food poisoning: Catering firm convicted after cockroach infestation found on premises
Yunhaiyao's chief executive Lu Zhi Tao appeared in court on July 2 on behalf of the company and pleaded guilty to two charges. - Photo: ST SINGAPORE: Catering company Yunhaiyao, which was involved in the ByteDance mass food poisoning case, has been convicted after cockroaches were found on its premises. The wok-fried diced chicken prepared by the company was also found to have contained more than 2,000 times the acceptable level of pathogens. Yunhaiyao's chief executive Lu Zhi Tao appeared in court on Wednesday (July 2) on behalf of the company and pleaded guilty to one charge under the Sale of Food Act and another under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations. Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecuting officer Mohd Rizal told the court that on July 30, 2024, the agency was alerted to an incident of gastroenteritis involving 60 victims, who were the staff of ByteDance. The victims had suffered abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming catered lunches prepared by Yunhaiyao. Among the dishes from Yunhaiyao's menu sent for food analysis was the wok-fried diced chicken. The meat was found to contain over 200,000 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of Staphylococcus aureus, a type of pathogen. This exceeded the specified levels of less than 100 CFU per gram. The prosecutor said pathogens exceeding this amount would make the food unsuitable for consumption and that eating such food may cause symptoms of gastroenteritis. During the inspection of Yunhaiyao's food preparation premises, SFA officers also discovered more than 10 live cockroaches beneath a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack. Yunhaiyao's staff immediately disposed of the infested material, said the prosecutor. Before a sentence was meted out, District Judge Janet Wang adjourned the case, seeking more information on how many victims needed medical intervention and how many were hospitalised, among other things. Lu, on behalf of Yunhaiyao, is expected to return to court on July 17 for mitigation and sentencing. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Straits Times
ByteDance food poisoning: Catering firm convicted after cockroach infestation found on premises
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Yunhaiyao's chief executive Lu Zhi Tao appeared in court on July 2 on behalf of the company and pleaded guilty to two charges. SINGAPORE – Catering company Yunhaiyao , which was involved in the ByteDance mass food poisoning case, has been convicted after cockroaches were found on its premises. The wok-fried diced chicken prepared by the company was also found to have contained more than 2,000 times the acceptable level of pathogens. Yunhaiyao's chief executive Lu Zhi Tao appeared in court on July 2 on behalf of the company and pleaded guilty to one charge under the Sale of Food Act and another under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations. Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecuting officer Mohd Rizal told the court that on July 30, 2024, the agency was alerted to an incident of gastroenteritis involving 60 victims, who were the staff of ByteDance. The victims had suffered abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming catered lunches prepared by Yunhaiyao. Among the dishes from Yunhaiyao's menu sent for food analysis was the wok-fried diced chicken . The meat was found to contain over 200,000 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of Staphylococcus aureus, a type of pathogen. This exceeded the specified levels of less than 100 CFU per gram. The prosecutor said pathogens exceeding this amount would make the food unsuitable for consumption and that eating such food may cause symptoms of gastroenteritis. During the inspection of Yunhaiyao's food preparation premises, SFA officers also discovered more than 10 live cockroaches beneath a folded grey plastic mat behind a rack. Yunhaiyao's staff immediately disposed of the infested material, said the prosecutor. Before a sentence was meted out, District Judge Janet Wang adjourned the case, seeking more information on how many victims needed medical intervention and how many were hospitalised, among other things. Lu, on behalf of Yunhaiyao, is expected to return to court on July 17 for mitigation and sentencing.
CNA
02-07-2025
- Health
- CNA
ByteDance mass food poisoning: Catering company pleads guilty
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. 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 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.
