Daegu dispatches army of food inspectors for worlds

SEOUL, July 28 (Reuters) - As many as 132 food inspectors will be deployed to prevent any food contamination during the world championships beginning in the South Korean city of Daegu at the end of next month, local media reported on Thursday.

Teams participating in the ongoing world swimming championship in Shanghai are wary of consuming contaminated meat and a Chinese court on Monday sentenced five people for selling pork tainted with a poisonous chemical.

However, the Daegu wing of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) was doing everything to make sure the 2,500-plus athletes from over 200 countries faced no such problem, the Yonhap news agency reported.

“Since the championships are held in summer when there’s a greater likelihood of food poisoning, we’d like to ask people to ensure safety for their food and beverages,” an unidentified official was quoted as saying, explaining the large deployment for the Aug. 27-Sept. 4 event.

The food inspectors will be present at the athletes’ village, hotels, competition venues and practice facilities.