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"A colleague asked to clean the sinks in several company restaurants. It seemed that someone was so uncomfortable that he vomited before he even got to the bathroom."

Recently, the "mass food poisoning incident in ByteDance's Singapore office" has attracted attention.

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 a report by Dute News, an employee of the company involved 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. "It is estimated that there are at least 300 people eating in each restaurant every day at noon."

According to the employee, at noon on July 30, the original two lines for picking up food in the restaurant increased to three. "The supplier's menu changes every day, but the dishes in the three lines are the same, and you pick up your own food."

According to the photos he provided, there are two options for lunch.

Option 1: (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) Oranges 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 shrimp 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 the employee, 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 all been in the same line, but this is just my guess. The details depend on the results of the investigation."

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.

According to the National Business Daily, Yun Hai Yao's Northpoint City branch and Putian Central Kitchen will suspend operations from now until further notice.

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."

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."

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.

According to 21st Century Business Herald, food safety incidents have occurred frequently in Singapore recently.

On July 23 and 24, 165 people at the Singapore Civil Defence Force's Civil Defence Academy contracted gastroenteritis after eating food from the cooking squad. After the incident, the stock of cooked and uncooked food was discarded and the academy has begun disinfection work. Currently, the parties involved in this incident are being investigated by the Singapore Food Agency and the Ministry of Health.

Editor: Yang Bo, Beijing Business Daily, 21st Century Business Herald, and National Business Daily

Image: Screenshots from Dute News video, screenshots from Yunhaiyao official website, screenshots from China Times video