TikTok Food Poisoning at ByteDance HQ Didn’t Exactly Go Viral

News of TikTok food poisoning at ByteDance HQ didn’t exactly go viral. At least not in the sense of new followers, likes, and heart emoji’s.

No. Instead, 169 people from the office reported symptoms of gastroenteritis. Of those, there are reports that 57 were treated in hospital and 17 required hospitalizations. Within two weeks everyone was released. However, the memory of this horrific situation will linger a bit longer than 60 seconds.

Here’s what we know about the TikTok food poisoning incident at the parent company ByteDance HQ office in Singapore.

What is ByteDance

ByteDance is the parent company of TikTok. A company founded in 2012 by Chinese entrepreneurs who created a similar short video app called Douyin in China. Shortly after, an international version dubbed TikTok was launched.

While TikTok is still not available in China, it does have more than a billion active users worldwide.

Owned by ByteDance, it is run by a limited liability company based in Singapore and Los Angeles. It is that Singapore office that experienced what is being called the TikTok food poisoning event.

What Happened?

It is unclear exactly how it happened, but evidence is pointing towards food from caterers ByteDance used to feed the office.

What started as a normal day for the office quickly evolved to chaos as people began falling sick.

Ambulances began arriving on the scene to help sickened ByteDance workers and take those in most need to the hospital.

“We take the health and safety of our employees very seriously and have taken immediate steps to support all affected employees,” said a Byte Dance spokesperson. “Including working with emergency services to provide care.”

At least 17 ambulances were initially dispatched to One Raffles Quay, ByteDance HQ office, in response to the mass TikTok food poisoning event.

Food Prepared by Caterers Focus of TikTok Food Poisoning Investigation

ByteDance does not prepare or cook food at their offices. Instead, the company uses third party caterers to supply food to the office.

These caterers were subjected to scrutiny by the Ministry of Health and Singapore Food Agency.

“Food operators must play their part by adhering to good food safety practices,” said the Singapore Food Agency in a joint statement with the city-state’s Ministry of Health. The statement added that the organization would not hesitate to use enforcement action against “errant food operators.”

Caterers Pu Tien Services and Yun Hai Yao were both temporarily suspended from food production operations during the Singapore Food Agency investigation.

Both caterer’s suspensions were lift following Singapore Food Agency requests, including disposing of all ready-to-eat food, thawed food, and perishable items. Additionally, the kitchens were cleaned and sanitized, including equipment and utensils. All food surfaces, tables, and floors were disinfected as well.

It is Unclear What Caused the TikTok Food Poisoning Event

Despite over one hundred staff members falling sick of apparent food poisoning, it is unclear what caused the TikTok food poisoning event.

Samples of food were sent for independent third-party laboratory testing and analysis.

“The laboratory results confirmed that all the food samples met the food safety regulations established by SFA [Singapore Food Agency]. The results also confirmed that both Listeria and Salmonella, bacteria known to cause food poisoning were not detected in any of the samples.”

But there are other foodborne pathogens that could cause these types of food poisoning symptoms.

Possible Foodborne Pathogens

Based on limited information, it is unclear whether staff ate together on previous days. If the meals served on this day were the cause of these food poisoning symptoms, a faster acting pathogen would be the most logical cause.

Bacillus Cereus?

One of the more common germs causing quick, widespread food poisoning involves a bacteria called Bacillus cereus. This bad bug lurks in rice, potatoes, and other starchy foods. The “emetic syndrome” it creates is caused by toxins produced by the bacteria when foods those starchy foods sit out too long before refrigeration.

Toxins have an opportunity to form, causing quick illnesses when consumed. Many people will experience vomiting symptoms within one to six hours of eating a contaminated food.

In some cases, bacteria are present, but toxins do not form until they reach the small intestine. In these cases, “diarrheal syndrome” presents. These symptoms often begin around six to 15 hours from eating a contaminated food. Common foods involved in this form of Bacillus cereus food poisoning include fish, dairy, meat, sauces, soups, stews, and vegetables.

Staphylococcus Aureus

In going with the fast-acting food poisoning pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus is another contender. Commonly found contaminating meat, eggs, and cream not refrigerated properly, Staphylococcus aureus can cause food poisoning symptoms within 30 minutes to eight hours after consuming a contaminated food.

Commonly found on the skin, this toxin-producing bacteria can transfer to other foods if proper handwashing is not observed during cooking or serving.

Other Natural Toxins

Other natural toxins may also be at play here. Some foods, like mushrooms and pufferfish have natural toxins that can cause vomiting symptoms. These have not been ruled out.

If Food Was Consumed Earlier in the Week, the Possibilities Expand

If the food responsible for this mass TikTok food poisoning event was consumed earlier in the week, possibilities multiply. Other common foodborne pathogens that can take a few days to cause symptoms may also be considered. Such as norovirus, which has an incubation period of 24 to 28 hours. Or Campylobacter, with an incubation period of two to seven days.

Will We Ever Know What Went Wrong?

It is possible we may never know what went wrong. Hopefully additional testing was performed before the illness ran its course, because many fast-acting bacterial illnesses pass through the body before it can be captured and tested.

Regardless, we hope that those affected by the TikTok food poisoning event recover fully and that it doesn’t happen again.

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By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)