US team to provide own meat at Olympics

Amid concerns about quality and safety, the US Olympic Team is planning to bring its own meat to the Olympic Games in Beijing. According to the New York Times, the Americans will haul 25,000 pounds to China to protect athletes from possible effects of veterinary drugs and insecticides that may contaminate the foreign meat. Some are concerned that meat with antibiotics and growth stimulants could also cause positive doping tests.

A Chinese official expressed regret at the news and said the host nation had received no formal notification of the decision. "At present, globally, there have been no scientific reports that show drug tests will yield positive results after athletes or people eat certain types of meat," said Lu Yong, director of the Beijing Municipal Food Safety Monitoring Centre according to Reuters. "China has very strict rules. Forbidden drugs cannot be used in breeding, so we can guarantee safety," he said.