2024-08-02
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According to 21st Century Business Herald, citing local media reports in Singapore, on July 30, a suspected food poisoning incident occurred in ByteDance's Singapore office. Many employees felt unwell after eating a Chinese buffet lunch in the cafeteria. At least 130 people experienced gastrointestinal discomfort. Some employees vomited in the office, "even vomiting to the point of collapsing on the ground and unable to get up."
Later, a ByteDance spokesperson responded to the media: "We attach great importance to the health and safety of our employees. The company has taken immediate measures to support all affected employees, including working with emergency response departments to provide medical care for employees. The company is currently cooperating with relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the accident."
According to Dute News, the reporter contacted Xiaoxing, an employee of the company.
Xiaoxing said that the company recently introduced two suppliers to operate two restaurants. Because the quality of the dishes is higher than that of other restaurants, there will be many people queuing up at noon every day. "I estimate that there are at least 300 people eating in each restaurant at noon every day." He told the reporter of Dute News.
At noon on July 30, Xiao Xing found that the original two lines for picking up food in the restaurant had increased to three, so the waiting time was significantly shortened. "The supplier's menu changes every day, but the dishes in the three lines are the same, and you pick up the food yourself."
Judging from the photos provided by Xiaoxing, there are two options for lunch on the 30th.
Choose one:(Cold dish) Potato and corn salad, (Coarse grains) Steamed brown rice, fried rice noodles, (Protein) Sour pork, stir-fried diced chicken, braised prawns, (Vegetables) Stir-fried bean sprouts, boiled kale with scallion oil, (Side dish) Stir-fried chicken gizzards with green peppers, (Soup) Bitter melon and pork ribs soup, (Cut fruit) Orange and cantaloupe.
Option 2:(Cold dish) Assorted vegetables, (Starch) Steamed red beans, fried noodles with bean paste, (Protein) Braised pork trotters, glutinous rice and chicken wings, boiled shrimps with garlic, (Vegetables) Stir-fried carrots and cabbage, (Side dish) Steamed egg with minced meat, (Soup) Winter melon and chicken soup, (Dessert) Cut fruit.
According to Xiaoxing's recollection, at 3:23 p.m. that day, a colleague asked in the work group if anyone felt uncomfortable after lunch, because when he was vomiting in the bathroom, he heard someone vomiting next door, and then many people in the group responded. After that, a colleague asked to clean the sinks in several restaurants in the company, because it seemed that someone was so uncomfortable that he vomited before he even got to the bathroom.
"My colleagues and I ate almost every dish that day, but none of us were hurt. And judging by the number of people who were infected, they might have been concentrated in one team, but this is just my guess. It depends on the results of the investigation," Xiaoxing told the Dute News reporter.
According to the 21st Century Business Herald, the Singapore Food Agency and the Ministry of Health issued a statement on the evening of July 31 stating that a total of 130 people developed gastroenteritis symptoms after eating food supplied by Yunhaixian and Putian in the cafeteria on the 26th floor of ByteDance's Singapore office at One Raffles Quay.
The food in question is suspected to have come from two suppliers, Singapore Yunhai Food and Putian. According to people familiar with the matter, the employees who felt unwell mainly ate spoiled chicken from the Chinese buffet, and the meat supplier on that day was Singapore Yunhai Food.
As of press time, 21st Century Business Herald has made multiple calls to Yunhaixiang and Putian’s parent company, Uncle Fang Catering Management Co., Ltd., but has not been able to contact the other party for a response.
It is understood that Yun Hai Yao Northpoint City branch and Putian Central Kitchen will suspend operations from now until further notice.
As for the company, ByteDance's Singapore office has set up a temporary medical assistance station on the 20th floor after the incident, temporarily blocked the buffet area in the cafeteria, and issued a notice to employees to explain the situation. The notice pointed out that the company will test the food provided by the cafeteria, conduct deep cleaning of the cafeteria, and fully disinfect the surrounding toilets.
A spokesperson for Putian said that the food in question did not come from Putian. "According to the company, the food in question did not come from Putian. Our buffet kitchen will suspend operations to cooperate with the authorities' investigation and await the results of the investigation."
In response to inquiries from the Singapore media at noon on July 31, Yunhaiyao said: "We are working with other suppliers to provide assistance to those affected, and are working closely with ByteDance and relevant government departments to conduct a thorough investigation. We strictly comply with food safety regulations and hygiene codes. The health and safety of our customers remains our top priority."
ByteDance's business in Singapore has developed rapidly. In recent years, it has continuously expanded its office scale and attracted many technology talents.
Public information shows that ByteDance has a large office in Singapore, which is one of its important business centers in Southeast Asia.
In October 2020, ByteDance expanded its office space in Singapore and moved into a three-story office building of more than 5,500 square meters at One Raffles Quay. It is reported that the office building is a famous commercial office building where many internationally renowned companies have offices.
In terms of business scope, according to previous public reports, the Singapore office is mainly responsible for the operation, research and development, and marketing of products such as Tik Tok. It is also ByteDance's talent recruitment and training base in Southeast Asia.
Data shows that Singapore is an important location for Chinese technology companies to expand their businesses. Singapore has attracted many Chinese technology companies, including Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance, due to its good business environment, sound legal system and support for financial innovation.
Editor|He Xiaotao Gai Yuanyuan
Proofreading|Cheng Peng
Daily Economic News integrates 21st Century Business Herald, Dute News, and Securities Times
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