Olympic’s Chinese Food Will Swing American
When American athletes go to China for the Olympics, they won’t be ordering any take-out: Mommy and Daddy will bring their food with them.
Any competitor who thought of getting a true taste of China will be flummoxed, as the United State Olympic Committee will be toting literally tons of meat and food. It’s all a part of the athlete protection plan, a way to keep the potentially unsafe food in China from killing red, white and blue hopes for bronze, silver and gold.
“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 USOC is planning to transport tons of meats and other foods to a training camp at Beijing Normal University,” the Associated Press reports.
The AP states that safety of food in China has become a major issue for the Olympics, where athletes will face extensive drug testing. Chinese security officials are aware that a positive drug test triggered by contaminated food — food treated on the hoof with growth hormones, steroids and other substances to beef up the cow – 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.”
Consider the recent recalls of millions of pounds of beef in this country, the annual death-dealing outbreaks of E. coli and other food illness; China’s menu must be really scary. The Chinese, however, think it’s a crock.
“I feel it’s a pity that they (Americans) decided to take their own food,” Kang Yi, the head of the Food Division for the Beijing organizing committee, told the AP. She added the U.S. had not officially notified her department of the plan.
“We have made lots of preparations to ensure that they (athletes) can get together at the Olympic Games,” Kang added. “If the American delegation is not at that gathering, it’s a pity.”
Tang Yunhua, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Office for Food Safety, repeated claims 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 have a safety plan during the Olympics Games to guarantee our venues will be safe,” Tang said. “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.”
Perhaps, if China borrowed some U.S. meat inspectors and slaughterhouse workers, the Olympic committee would feel better.
Posted by Bryan McKenzie at 10:29 AM. Filed under: Daily Screed •
