Yunhaiyao fined S$7,000 for food poisoning case affecting 171 ByteDance staff in Singapore
The fine was issued over a mass food poisoning incident last year that affected employees at ByteDance Singapore.
According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, Lu Zhi Tao, chief executive officer of Yunhaiyao, appeared in court to receive the sentence on behalf of the company.
Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecutor Mohd Rizal told the court that a total of 171 victims suffered gastroenteritis symptoms.
Of these, 60 victims were sent to hospital for treatment. Twenty-two of them were warded for one to three days.
The remaining 38 received outpatient care or self-medicated at home.
District Judge Janet Wang described the number of victims as 'staggering' and noted it was fortunate that there were no fatalities.
Investigations revealed that the affected ByteDance employees had eaten wok-fried diced chicken catered by Yunhaiyao.
Tests showed the dish contained staphylococcus aureus bacteria far exceeding permissible limits.
According to SFA, more than 200,000 colony-forming units per gram were found in a sample of the chicken.
Food safety regulations state that food should contain fewer than 100 colony-forming units.
Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, can cause food poisoning when food is not cooked or stored properly.
It can also spread through poor hygiene practices among food handlers.
Further checks by SFA at the Yun Nans outlet in Northpoint City uncovered more than 10 live cockroaches.
Yunhaiyao pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations for the cockroach infestation.
It also pleaded guilty to a second charge under the Sale of Food Act for selling food that failed to meet the standards demanded by ByteDance.
Prosecutor Mohd Rizal had requested a total fine of S$5,500 for Yunhaiyao.
This is the company's first food safety offence in Singapore.
Yunhaiyao, founded in 2009 in China, has expanded to include over a dozen outlets in major Chinese cities.
Annual sales for the company exceed 1 billion yuan (approximately S$200 million).
Lu established the first overseas Yunhaiyao outlet in Singapore in 2019 after relocating with his family.
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