Caterer fined after 170 fell sick in Singapore office of TikTok owner
A caterer in Singapore was sentenced to a fine in relation to an epidemic which reported more than 170 people.
Yun Hai Yao Pte was sentenced to a fine of $ 7,000 (US $ 5,500) by the Laps Food Safety Court under the Public Act and the Public Health Environment Regulations (food hygiene).
In July 2024, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) received gastroenteritis reports involving 171 people who had consumed food from Yun Hai Yao Pte, also known as Yun Nans. Sixty people were hospitalized.
The incident occurred at the Office of Technology Company bytedance, owner of the Tiktok social media platform.
Local media said the employees had eaten chicken cut to the wok containing high levels of staphylococcus aureus. More than 200,000 colonies’ formation units per gram (CFU / G) of Staphylococcus Aureus were found in a sample taken by the SFA. The regulations indicate that the food limit is 100 CFU / g.
A joint inspection of SFA and MOH in the catering premises in Northpoint City found several food security problems. These included infestation of cockroaches and dirty supports and peeler. In addition, a food sample from Yun Hai Yao Pte collected during the survey failed SFA’s security tests.
SFA told the caterer to suspend its operations from July 31 to August 16, 2024 to rectify the problems and take measures to improve food security practices and the cleanliness of the premises.
The company apologizes in the declaration
In a statement after the verdict, the company said it had stopped its business activity line in Singapore and closed the Northpoint City site.
“Following an internal investigation, we achieved a deep awareness that the deep cause of the incident lies in serious negligence of management. This was the first attempt to offer business catering services,” the company said in a prepared statement. “Unfortunately, we failed to assess properly the risks associated with the launch of a new commercial line. Our internal examination revealed that the volume of meals that day had exceeded the maximum Manche production capacity, which has become a major hidden danger.”
An internal survey revealed that basic hygiene protocols have been insufficiently followed. Temperature and time control during storage and delivery were insufficient, which led to microbial growth in dishes, which ultimately caused the incident.
“We have started a third -party professional agency to carry out full risks assessments, strengthening control between critical points such as ingredient traceability, hygiene protocols, food processing, temperature storage and pest management to firmly prevent food security risks firmly. This incident was a painful and Sobring lesson for us, ”said society.
(To register for a free subscription to Food Safety News,Click here.)
