Caterers suspended following an outbreak at TikTok’s Singapore office

Authorities in Singapore have suspended the operations of two companies that supplied food to TikTok’s parent company after more than 100 people fell ill.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) are investigating the outbreak.

A total of 130 people consumed food delivered by Yun Hai Yao Pte and Pu Tien Services Pte at ByteDance’s office at One Raffles Quay earlier this week. Seventeen people were hospitalized and are currently in stable condition. The video sharing app TikTok is owned by ByteDance.

SFA has suspended the operations of Yun Hai Yao Pte at 1 Northpoint Drive and Pu Tien Services Pte at 2 Senoko South Road until further notice.

The businesses are required to clean and disinfect the premises, including equipment and utensils, and dispose of all ready-to-eat and perishable food items.

All food handlers at the companies must retake the Level 1 Food Safety Course, pass it and test negative for foodborne pathogens before they can resume work. A Food Hygiene Officer must retake and pass the Level 3 Food Safety Course before they can resume their role.

“Food safety is a shared responsibility. SFA would like to remind food operators to observe good food and personal hygiene practices at all times. SFA will not hesitate to take strong action against anyone who violates the Environmental Public Health Act,” the Singapore Food Agency said.

Other enforcement actions
In other news, SFA has seized about a tonne of fresh and processed produce illegally imported from Malaysia.

In July, SFA and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) conducted an operation using vans used to transport produce and food products intended for direct distribution to retailers and customers. During the operation, ICA officers noticed discrepancies in the shipments of two trucks and referred them to SFA for further checks.

Fruit and vegetables may only be imported by approved companies and each shipment must be declared and accompanied by a valid import permit.

SFA found undeclared and underdeclared products at two importers, such as bayam, tomato, ladyfinger and peeled hairy gourd. All illegally imported products were seized. Illegally imported vegetables are of unknown origin and can pose a food safety risk if unregulated or high concentrations of pesticides are used.

In another case, Long Yue Teng Trading Pte was fined $29,000 (US$21,700) for two violations under the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act.

Directors Wang Limin and Koon Kay Kheng were fined $25,000 (US$18,700) and $4,000 (US$3,000) respectively, for failing to prevent the violations.

In April 2023, officers from the Singapore Food Agency inspected a cold store leased to Long Yue Teng and discovered more than 5,100 kilograms of assorted meat products. These items were illegally imported from unapproved sources in China without a valid permit.

A further two companies have also been fined for food safety issues. Sidecar Pte, a food processor, was fined $3,800 (US$2,800) for conducting unapproved trading activities.

The company was granted a license to operate a food processing location. However, during an inspection in February 2023, officers from the SFA found it had breached licensing conditions with the unauthorized processing and packaging of pet food. SFA found pet food products in the walk-in freezer area, as well as pet food packaging materials such as tubs, lids and glass jars in the dry storage area and office.

Finally, +Robert Catering Services Pte was fined $2,100 (US$1,600) in connection with an outbreak in May 2023.

MOH and SFA received reports of gastroenteritis in 37 people across four St Luke’s ElderCare Centers. All sick people consumed lunch meals provided by the company. One person was hospitalized.

About a dozen food samples were collected, three of which had Bacillus Cereus counts exceeding the regulatory limit. The three ready-to-eat foods were stir-fried cabbage with mushrooms, carrot and baby corn; stir-fry cabbage; and stewed Tau Pok.

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