Beijing - The organizers of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing on Thursday "guaranteed" the quality and safety of food for athletes from around the world at the August competition. After repeated scandals and critical reports over deficits in China's food safety, officials in Beijing dismissed widespread concerns and laid out their plans to closely monitor food from breeders and growers through to its consumption.
Tang Yunhua, spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Office of Food Safety, told the media that the regulations exceeded international standards.
"We have established a sound food safety system," she said. "The standards for the Olympic Games are much more strict than international standards. We can guarantee the food safety during the olympic Games."
The announcement was made after China was accused of lax oversight following a series of revelations of tainted food from China that resulted in numerous countries imposing bans. Those scandals included pesticide-tainted Chinese-made dumplings that sickened hundreds of people in Japan, pet food containing a toxic chemical that sickened or killed thousands of dogs and cats in the United States, antifreeze-tainted toothpaste and fish import bans over chemical-contaminated fish feed.
Lu Yong, director of the Beijing Municipal Food Safety Monitoring Centre, denied reports that anabolic steroids and other growth stimulants, which breeders often use for higher meat yields, could result in positive doping tests for otherwise negative athletes.
The Chinese officials said they were disappointed by the US team's plans to bring along its own food, adding that competitors, as in previous Games, are not allowed to bring food into the Olympic Village.
Australia was also warning its athletes what to eat and what not to eat during the Games, and its team was also planning to bring some of its own food.
Tang said a databank would be established to show where food came from, including its breeder or grower, medications used, the origin of animal feed used and its transport.
