In the Paralympic co-host city of Qingdao,

Organizors have been providing high-standard catering services to the athletes in an effort to stage an excellent Paralympic Games.

Wei Gang, an official with the Qingdao Paralympic Village, says the main dining hall is in operation 24 hours a day with both Chinese and western food being provided.

"We have only laid out 140 seats throughout the 600-squaremeter dining hall, so the distance between each table is over 1.5 meters, increasing the level of convenience for athletes in wheelchairs. We have also lowered the height of the tables by 15 centimeters since the Olympics."

More than 220 dishes are served every day. There are also signs beside every dish, providing nutritional information.

Yuan Ming, head chef at the village, says one hundred and twenty chefs are now working throughout five kitchens. To meet the demands of athletes, they have made a list to note their specific needs.

"An American female athlete is allergic to nearly all kinds of nuts. So each chef is required to learn about it and avoid the use of nuts when serving her. We have already made a special menu for her."

According to the organizers a sample of every dish is kept for forty-eight hours in order to ensure and monitor the highest food quality standards.