TikTok-owner ByteDance’s Singapore workers suffer mass food poisoning

TikTok-owner ByteDance’s office in Singapore was hit by mass food poisoning on Tuesday, affecting 130 people, according to local authorities. 

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the Singapore Food Agency and Ministry of Health said 17 individuals were hospitalized and are currently stable, while the rest have sought outpatient treatment, self-medicated, or recovered without treatment.

According to the authorities, affected individuals had consumed food provided to the office at Singapore’s One Raffles Quay by local suppliers Yun Hai Yao and Pu Tien Services. The SFA suspended both until further notice.

The licensees must dispose of all ready-to-eat food and perishable food items as well as clean and sanitize the premises. Food handling staff and the food hygiene officer must reattend and pass certification courses, the authorities added.

According to a report from local newspaper The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force had sent personnel, ambulances, fire engines, and a mass decontamination vehicle to the office premises on Tuesday after receiving calls for medical assistance.

“We are investigating the matter and are working with the relevant authorities on this,” a ByteDance spokesperson told CNBC in an emailed statement, adding that the company had “taken immediate steps to support all affected employees, including working with emergency services to provide care.” 

Affected people experienced symptoms of abdominal pain and vomiting, with multiple people treated by SCDF paramedics at the office building located in Singapore’s business district, according to the ST report.

ByteDance reportedly confirmed it was aware that employees at its One Raffles Quay office had become ill after a visit to a “canteen” in the building. A buffet section at the canteen was “closed until investigations are complete,” CNA reported. 

According to TikTok’s website, Singapore is one of its headquarters and ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew is a third-generation Singaporean citizen.

TikTok, the short-video sharing platform, has been scrutinized in the U.S. in recent years due to concerns about its ownership and ties to China.

The U.S. government passed a bill in April that seeks to force the app’s Chinese owner to sell it or face a ban. TikTok is now suing the U.S. government to stop enforcement of the bill arguing that it violates the law.