The capital will establish a food safety command center for this year's Olympic Games, a senior official from the city's industry and commerce authority said yesterday.

The Beijing Municipal Food Safety Supervision and Coordination Office will set up the food safety center with support from the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympics, the Olympic Security Command Center and staff at major Games venues.

The center will be responsible for overseeing food safety during the Games and issue alerts should any risks arise, Zhang Zhikuan, chief of the Beijing municipal administration for industry and commerce, said at a work conference yesterday.

Officials at the conference said food for the Games will be classified into 345 items in 10 categories, with each item checked against specific technical standards.

"Precautions must be taken to avert any trace of terrorist attacks on our food supply chain," Zhang told the meeting

Officials will also be mobilized to ensure the protection of intellectual property rights, consumer rights and assist the many foreigners expected to visit the capital during the event.

Authorities will focus their inspections on Olympic venues, hotels and restaurants to ensure food quality, Zhang, who is also head of the city's office for food safety coordination, said.

Food quality will be closely monitored and systems are in place to enable city authorities to trace suspect food back to its source, he said.

The move is part of the commitment Beijing made to the International Olympic Committee to guarantee food safety during the Games.