China has taken a series of measures to ensure food safety for the Olympic Games, including using GPS to position and monitor the transport and store of food for the event, a senior quarantine official said in Beijing on Thursday.

Li Changjiang, head of the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said on the sidelines of the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) that "food safety is one of important factors for the success of the Beijing Olympics, to which the Chinese government always pays great attention."

He said that the Olympic food production will strictly follow "the highest international standards".

Strict market permission is imposed for all food suppliers for the Beijing Olympic Games. Food processing companies can be recognized as the candidates of food suppliers for the Games only after undergoing very strict examinations, Li said.

Candidates of food suppliers will be examined by officials and experts on spot, he added.

Food will be transported from food processing companies to "consumption sites" directly and GPS will be used to position and monitor transport and store to "ensure safety of every procedure", Li said.

"We also communicated with counterparts of previous Olympic Games hosts and drew experiences on ensuring food safety from them," Li said.

"The above measures will guarantee food safety for the Beijing Olympic Games without the least risk," Li assured.

Li wished athletes, coaches, journalists from all over the world not only enjoy a high-level sports spree in Beijing, but also enjoy China's catering culture.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 13, 2008)