Yunhaiyao fined S$7,000 after food poisoning incident at ByteDance office
Restaurant chain operator Yunhaiyao, which runs Yun Nans outlets in Singapore, was fined S$7,000 over a 2024 food poisoning outbreak that sickened 171 ByteDance employees. Tests found bacterial contamination in one of its catered dishes.
- 171 ByteDance employees fell ill after consuming contaminated food from Yunhaiyao.
- Tests found over 200,000 staphylococcus aureus bacteria per gram — far exceeding safe limits.
- The company was fined S$7,000 for food hygiene and safety violations.
SINGAPORE: Yunhaiyao, a catering company known for operating the Yun Nans chain of restaurants in Singapore, was fined S$7,000 on 17 July 2025 over a mass food poisoning incident last year involving ByteDance employees.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Yunhaiyao’s chief executive officer, Lu Zhi Tao, appeared in court to receive the sentence on behalf of the company.
Singapore Food Agency (SFA) prosecutor Mohd Rizal told the court that 171 victims suffered gastroenteritis symptoms after consuming the food.
Of these, 60 employees were hospitalised, with 22 warded for between one and three days. The remaining 38 received outpatient care or treated themselves at home.
District Judge Janet Wang described the number of victims as “staggering” and noted it was fortunate there were no fatalities.
Tests revealed severe bacterial contamination
Investigations found that the affected ByteDance employees had eaten wok-fried diced chicken catered by Yunhaiyao.
Laboratory tests detected staphylococcus aureus bacteria exceeding 200,000 colony-forming units per gram — far above the permissible limit of 100.
Staphylococcus aureus, or “staph,” can cause food poisoning if food is not cooked or stored properly, and can spread through poor hygiene among food handlers.
Cockroach infestation uncovered at restaurant
Further inspections by the SFA at Yun Nans’ Northpoint City outlet uncovered more than 10 live cockroaches.
Yunhaiyao pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations for the infestation and another charge under the Sale of Food Act for selling substandard food.
The prosecutor sought a total fine of S$5,500, but the court imposed a higher penalty of S$7,000.
This marks the company’s first food safety offence in Singapore.
Company background
Yunhaiyao was founded in China in 2009 and now operates more than a dozen outlets in major Chinese cities, with annual sales exceeding 1 billion yuan (around S$200 million).
Lu opened the first overseas outlet in Singapore in 2019 after relocating with his family.
