Four suffer food poisoning, one sent to hospital after eating at Seletar Mall Haidilao outlet
They were part of a family gathering of 11 celebrating a senior's birthday.
Haidilao says it will cooperate with investigations, after four people at its Seletar Mall outlet suffered food poisoning, apparently after eating from a fruit platter.
Shin Min Daily News reported that the quartet suffered severe diarrhoea - one of whom fainted from dehydration and was hospitalised.
The incident happened on Oct 12. A man, who only wished to be known as Mr Wang, 36, told Shin Min that 11 family members had gathered at Haidilao at Seletar Mall to celebrate the birthday of an 80-year-old aunt.
The four affected individuals - his father, younger brother, sister and uncle - all ate from the same fruit platter provided by the restaurant.
Other family members who did not consume the fruit remained well, leading him to rule out undercooked hotpot ingredients as the cause.
Mr Wang said that all four experienced multiple bouts of diarrhoea after returning home, with his sister's condition being the most serious. He noted that she had stomach problems that night and kept running to the toilet the next morning.
After one trip to the bathroom, he said that she felt dizzy. "My father, who was resting in his room, heard her calling for help and found her collapsed on the floor," he added. Panicked, he called for an ambulance.
Mr Wang's sister was taken to the emergency department, where she was diagnosed with gastroenteritis. Due to the severity of her condition, she received an injection and was put on an IV drip.
She was discharged once her condition stabilised that night. However, she continued having diarrhoea at home and took three days to fully recover, with the family incurring medical bills totaling hundred of dollars.
The other three family members experienced milder symptoms and eventually recovered without complications.
Case reported to SFA
Mr Wang said he had tried to contact the restaurant via email and its website after the incident, but received no response for an extended period.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the restaurant's lack of a prompt follow-up and subsequently reported the case to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
"We're not asking for compensation, we just want an explanation. As a well-known F&B group, it's unacceptable that a customer suffers food poisoning and the matter is not handled seriously," he said.
In response to Shin Min's queries, a Haidilao spokesperson said the restaurant's management has since reached out to Mr Wang to express its concern and will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities in their investigation.
Mr Wang later confirmed this, saying Haidilao has apologised and will cooperate with investigations.
Shin Min has reached out to SFA for comment.