China to Begin Olympic Food Checks

Cultured eels are on sale at a market in Beijing Wednesday, July 11, 2007. In recent weeks, importers of Chinese goods, especially the United States, have grown extremely wary as the list of products tainted with deadly toxins and dangerously high levels of chemicals grows daily. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) (AP)

Earlier this week, China announced it was taking steps to ensure athletes' food is safe and free of substances that could trigger a positive result in tests for banned performance-enhancing drugs.

China's military, which boasts the world's largest standing army, has also taken note of food safety issues and ordered better monitoring at mess halls, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a circular from the People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department.

All units must monitor food supply from purchase to processing, and ban the use of fake or substandard products, the circular said. Unsafe food can affect combat readiness, it said.

The State Food and Drug Administration announced stricter rules for approving new medicines Wednesday, a day after the agency's former head, Zheng Xiaoyu, was executed for taking bribes and gifts in exchange for letting substandard and fake products onto the domestic market. One, an antibiotic, has been blamed for at least 10 deaths.

Starting Oct. 1, the drug registration and approval process will be made transparent to curb power abuse and corruption, Wu Zhen, the agency's deputy chief, was quoted as saying in the state-run China Daily newspaper.

A special panel will approve new drugs instead of a single person or department, and local watchdogs will be authorized to conduct preliminary approval procedures _ unlike before, when power was centralized, Wu said.

Companies which provide false information or samples will not be allowed to apply for drug approval for up to three years, and the food and drug agency will make surprise spot checks on drug producers, he said.

"Transparency is the enemy of corruption," Wu was quoted as saying.