60 people fall ill after mass food poisoning incident at ByteDance office; SFA, MOH investigating

60 people fall ill after mass food poisoning incident at ByteDance office; SFA, MOH investigating

60 people fall ill after mass food poisoning incident at ByteDance office; SFA, MOH investigating

 

SCDF deployed 17 ambulances in response to the incident at the office at One Raffles Quay.

 

SINGAPORE: Authorities are investigating cases of gastroenteritis reported at the office of TikTok owner ByteDance at One Raffles Quay on Tuesday (Jul 30).

 

As of Tuesday evening, 60 people were reported to have developed gastroenteritis symptoms and 57 of them have sought medical attention at hospitals, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement.

 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in its final update on Tuesday they deployed 17 ambulances to the scene in response to the incident, and that 47 people who experienced symptoms of abdominal pain and vomiting were taken to hospitals.

 

SCDF added it understands from the 47 people that they had earlier consumed food from the same source.

 

CNA understands that the patients were sent to different hospitals, including Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore General Hospital and Raffles Hospital.

 

In a company announcement to employees seen by CNA, ByteDance said it was aware that its employees at its One Raffles Quay office had become ill after "their recent visit to the L26 canteen".

 

A buffet section at the canteen is "closed until investigations are complete", the company said.

 

"We are taking this incident very seriously and are working closely with local authorities and caterers to identify the cause as soon as possible," it added.

 

CNA understands that ByteDance engages licensed external vendors to cater food for its offices, and that food is not prepared or cooked at its office premises in Singapore.

 

The company's announcement said there is "ongoing medical support assistance" being offered to those affected by the incident, with a temporary first aid centre set up at the lift lobby on the 20th floor of the building's South Tower.

 

SCDF told CNA that it received multiple calls for medical assistance at One Raffles Quay at 3.15pm on Tuesday.

 

It had earlier said 15 ambulances were deployed to the scene, and that 30 people who experienced symptoms of abdominal pain and vomiting had been taken to hospitals.

 

The number of ambulances deployed as well as the number of people taken to hospital were later revised to 17 and 41 respectively. 

 

In its initial statement at 7.32pm, SCDF described the incident as "still ongoing". In its update at 8.15pm, SCDF said that all its personnel and emergency vehicles had returned to their respective fire stations and fire posts.

 

"WHOLE OFFICE SMELLED LIKE VOMIT"

 

A 28-year-old ByteDance employee told CNA on Tuesday evening that the canteen on the 26th floor, which operates from 12pm to 2pm, serves "China-style Chinese food" and is "quite popular among employees".

 

"It’s a new vendor which was only recently engaged, perhaps two months ago," said the employee, who wished to remain anonymous.

 

"My colleagues felt nauseous about an hour after lunch (around 3pm). Mostly vomiting and diarrhoea. The toilets were all full and there were people lying on the floor. The whole office smelled like vomit."

 

The staff member added that the scene was "quite chaotic" as people vomited on the floor and in the pantry, with cleaners "rushing around the office cleaning up the mess".

 

"Two of my teammates went to the hospital via SCDF, while four went to the clinic. They didn’t want to go to the hospital."

 

The employee noted that those who visited the general practitioner (GP) clinic obtained three days of sick leave.

 

SFA and MOH said they are investigating the reported gastroenteritis cases.

 

"Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food safety practices," they added.

 

"SFA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant food operators."

 

In response to queries from CNA, a ByteDance spokesperson said: "We take the health and safety of our employees very seriously and have taken immediate steps to support all affected employees, including working with emergency services to provide care.

 

"We are investigating the matter and are working with the relevant authorities on this."

 

More than 160 personnel at the SCDF academy fell ill with gastroenteritis last week. Investigations are ongoing for that mass food poisoning incident.

 

Chan, R. (2024, July 31). 60 people fall ill after mass food poisoning incident at ByteDance office; SFA, MOH investigating. CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/bytedance-office-food-poisoning-scdf-moh-sfa-4513966

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