A massive $2.7 billion (20 billion yuan) income is expected to be earned by China's catering industry during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. The huge food bill covers the meals of 280,000 athletes, Olympic officials, media and other workers from 200 nations as well as 5 million overseas and 120 million domestic tourists.

It will be an unprecedented opportunity for the nation's catering sector which is used to making just $3.2 billion (24 billion yuan) a year, said Bian Jiang, spokesman of the China Cuisine Association (CCA).

The CCA pledged to put together a world class menu for Olympic participants and tourists. Thirty percent of the food will be from the region, principally Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes. In previous Olympic Games, Oriental food comprised only 10 to 20 percent of the meal.