Date: 02/12/08

U.S. Olympic Self-Catering Plan Disappoints Beijing Olympics

By STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING (AP) The United States Olympic Committee has disappointed the head of food services at the Beijing Olympics with a plan to bring its own food to the Games.

Wary of food quality in China following recent incidents of tainted products and reports of the heavy use of drugs and insecticides in food production, the Americans are planning to transport tons of meats and other foods to a training camp at Beijing Normal University.

"I feel it's a pity that they (Americans) decided to take their own food," Kang Yi said Thursday, the head of the Food Division for the Beijing organizing committee. She said the U.S. had not officially notified her department of the plan.

The U.S. delegation will number more than 600, and many will eat their daily meals at the training camp, rather than the Athletes Village. The Village will house about 17,000 athletes and officials during the Aug. 8-24 Games and will be capable of serving 6,000 meals simultaneously.

The New York Times reported earlier that the U.S. will ship 25,000 pounds of lean meat to China.

"We have made lots of preparations to ensure that they (athletes) can get together at the Olympic Games," Kang added, speaking at a news conference Thursday on food safety. "If the American delegation is not at that gathering, it's a pity."

The safety of food in China has become a major issue for the Olympics, where athletes will face extensive drug testing. Security officials are aware that a positive drug test triggered by contaminated food could ruin an athlete's career and generate a public-relations disaster for China, which is intent on showing itself as a modern, sophisticated country.

Other countries are also reported to be considering plans to cater their own food. In a related issue, dozens of teams have announced plans to arrive in China as late as possible, choosing to train elsewhere and avoid Beijing and the city's noxious air pollution.

Tang Yunhua, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Office for Food Safety, repeated claims Thursday of extensive monitoring from the pasture to the plate - using bar codes, satellite tracking devices and labor-intensive operations - for food served at the Olympic Village.

"We can guarantee the food safety during the Olympic Games," Tang said.

"We have a safety plan during the Olympics Games to guarantee our venues will be safe," she added. "And the standards for Olympic food safety are much more strict than international standards. So all the delegations can enjoy the food provided during the Olympic Games."

Another official said there was no evidence that drugs and growth stimulants used in meat production could trigger positive doping tests.

"As far as we know we haven't found any scientific report on this," said Lu Yong, director of the Beijing Municipal Food Safety Monitoring Center.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.