Chinese troops guarding carrots, tomatoes

China Photos/Getty Images

Having spent nearly $7 billion on security for next month’s Olympics, Beijing will likely earn the mantle of most protected city in the history of the games. But China’s efforts aren’t limited to protecting sensitive sites and crowds from terrorist mayhem.

That’s right: Beijing, stung by its flagging reputation for food safety after last year’s blowups over tainted toothpaste and pet food, is now monitoring vegetables growing in rural farms. Meanwhile, livestock for the Olympic meat supply are raised in secret farms away from cities, McClatchy reports:

Guards carefully monitor the perimeter of Lin Yuan’s farm, where carrots, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables will ripen just in time for the hungry athletes arriving for the Beijing Summer Olympics.

“What is special now is the security,” Lin said as he strolled out of a greenhouse and pointed to sentries at the farm’s entry gate.

The beefed-up security hasn’t impressed everyone. Both the American and Australian Olympic contingents will be shipping their own food in for the games. After the American announcement in April became a source of embarassment for the Chinese, Beijing banned the use of outside food at the Olympics. Chinese officals apparently relented, however, as the Aussies say they’re “taking some snack bars, some packaged cereals and things like that.”