Woman gets diarrhoea & faints after alleged food poisoning from fruit plate at Sengkang Haidilao

UPDATE on Oct. 24, 1:30pm: The article has been updated with SFA's and Haidilao's statements.

A woman was hospitalised after suffering severe diarrhoea allegedly caused by a fruit plate served at hotpot restaurant Haidilao on Oct. 12.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the woman fainted from dehydration after repeated bouts of diarrhoea and was later diagnosed with gastroenteritis.

The incident reportedly took place at the Haidilao outlet at The Seletar Mall in Sengkang.

At Haidilao to celebrate grandaunt's birthday

The woman's brother, a 36-year-old man surnamed Wang (transliteration), told Shin Min that he and 11 other family members were dining at Haidilao to celebrate his grandaunt's 80th birthday.

However, upon returning home after dinner, Wang's uncle, father, younger brother, and younger sister began experiencing stomachaches and frequent diarrhoea.

He stated that the four of them were the only ones to eat from the restaurant's fruit plate.

The other family members who did not consume the fruit did not report any symptoms, leading the family to believe that the fruit plate was the likely cause.

Sister was sent to the hospital

According to Shin Min, Wang said that his sister's condition was the most serious. She suffered continuous diarrhoea through the night and into the next morning.

"She felt dizzy after using the toilet," Wang recalled. "My father, who was resting in the room, heard her shout and he found her collapsed on the floor."

Wang's father immediately called an ambulance, and his sister was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and given injections and an IV drip.

She was discharged later that night after her condition stabilised, but she continued to suffer from diarrhoea.

She took about three days to recover fully, and medical expenses reportedly totalled several hundred dollars.

Fortunately, the other three affected family members experienced only mild symptoms.

Wang said that following the incident, he reached out to Haidilao via email and the company's website, but did not receive a response.

He then reported the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

"We are not asking for compensation, but for an explanation," he said. "As a food and beverage business, it is unacceptable that a customer's food poisoning case was not promptly addressed or taken seriously."

Haidilao promised to cover his sister's medical expenses

In response to queries from Shin Min, a Haidilao spokesperson said that the restaurant's management has reached out to the customer to offer their support and would fully cooperate with the relevant authorities in the investigation.

Wang later confirmed this, saying that Haidilao had apologised and promised to investigate the incident and cover his sister's medical expenses.

Speaking to Mothership, Haidilao stated that it is currently awaiting the outcome of SFA's investigations and has not received other complaints from other customers who dined at the outlet on the same day.

SFA responds

In response to Mothership's queries, SFA confirmed they received feedback on a case of suspected gastroenteritis involving four people who dined at Haidilao at The Seletar Mall on Oct. 12.

An inspection conducted by SFA did not reveal any food safety lapses.

"All food handlers were observed to be practising good food safety practices such as wearing gloves when handling Ready-To-Eat cooked food," they said.

SFA reminded consumers to be aware of food safety risks when having hotpot.

As diners cook their own food, undercooked items may contain harmful pathogens that cause food poisoning. Placing raw and cooked ingredients close together also increases the risk of cross-contamination.

"Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, 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. Consumers should also play their part by adopting good food safety practices."

Top photos via Google Maps and Shin Min Daily News