A mass food poisoning incident occurred at ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, in Singapore, affecting 60 staff members who experienced gastroenteritis symptoms.
Fifty-seven of them were hospitalized, according to BBC News.
Health and food safety officials are currently investigating the cause of the outbreak.
A ByteDance spokesperson acknowledged the incident, confirming that the company is working to address the issue.
“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.”
ByteDance relies on external catering services for meal provision, rather than preparing or cooking food in-house.
Following the food poisoning incident, 17 ambulances were sent to ByteDance’s Singapore office to provide medical assistance.
The Singapore Food Agency, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, has launched an investigation into the incident.
“Food operators must play their part by adhering to good food safety practices. SFA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant food operators.”
ByteDance, established in 2012 by Chinese entrepreneurs, initially achieved significant success with the short video app Douyin in China.
The company then launched TikTok, a global version of Douyin, in 2013.
TikTok, which is not accessible in China, has now surpassed a billion active users worldwide.
Although operated by a limited liability company based in Singapore and Los Angeles, ByteDance remains the ultimate owner of the company.
