The Loveliest Village

Recent recalls of Chinese products have caused concern about food safety during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.  More than 10,500 athletes and 22,000 journalists will be at the Games, and Auburn University’s Yifen Wang is playing a major role in ensuring their safety.

The Beijing Food Safety Administration and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games asked Wang to be a member of the Beijing Olympics Food Security Panel because of his food safety expertise and fluency in Chinese and English.  Wang is one of four members from the United States and is the designated liaison for English-speaking members.

The Food Security Panel will rely heavily on GPS and radio frequency identification technology to monitor and track all Olympic food products through production, processing and distribution. 

“There is great pressure on us to ensure that all foods that enter the athletes village, media villages, main press center and international broadcasting center at the games are safe,� Wang said. “We are confident that the security program that has been established is a very good, highly effective system.� 

Wang was born in Shanghai, China, and earned a bachelor’s degree in food engineering from Shanghai Fisheries University.  He came to the United States in 1998 and earned a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Washington, a master’s in business administration and a doctorate in food engineering from Washington State University.

The Auburn University biosystems engineering assistant professor may even get a ticket to the Opening Ceremonies at the Beijing National Stadium on Aug. 8, 2008.

“The Beijing Food Safety Administration has applied for tickets for members of the board, and we have thanked them for their efforts,� Wang said. “But as you can imagine, those tickets are in great demand.�

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