China announced intensified measures on Olympic food market check-ups on Thursday, saying its market watchdog will be on 24-hour standby to deal with possible food safety emergencies during the Games.

All eateries and food outlets near Olympic venues, scenic spots and traffic hubs will be inspected and straightened out. Substandard producers and sellers will lose their business licenses, according to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC).

Quality of grain, meat, vegetables, dairy products, beverages and liquor will be the main target of the campaign as the market watchdog vowed to step up routine monitoring, Xinhua learnt from a work conference held by SAIC.

Deputy director of SAIC Wang Dongfeng said local industry and commerce departments are making full preparations to raise ability to cope with emergencies. Wang said the administration will hold an exercise soon to test operation against food safety contingency.

(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2008)