Bush appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to lead the panel, which will work to "review the procedures in place, the regulations in place, the practices in place to make sure that our food supply remains the safest in the world."

"This is not a slap at China," White House spokesman Tony Snow insisted when asked whether a spate of problems with Chinese imports had led to the decision. "We get food imports from 150 countries around the world."

Meanwhile, China's Xinhua news agency said US and Chinese officials would hold five days of talks in Beijing starting July 31 to improve food safety mechanisms as the dispute put new strains on Sino-US trade relations.

China's safety standards have come under sharp international criticism amid regular reports of fake, shoddy or dangerous goods emanating from the nation's chaotic and corrupt food and drug industry.

Reports in the United States of tainted pet foods, dangerous toys, drugs, fish, cosmetics and other products from China have led to a spate of recalls and bans there.

Bush, who did not name any countries, said the task force would assess US import rules; work with countries that export to US markets to make sure their safeguards are sufficient; and make sure importers meet US standards.

Snow downplayed the likelihood of new legislation emerging from the working group but suggested that it might overhaul rules and restrictions at government agencies that oversee imports.

Chinese officials have blamed foreign media for exaggerating the issue but have also admitted there is a serious problem with food hygiene and safety standards in the nation of 1.3 billion people.

Toxic seafood, virus-plagued pigs and chemical-laden toothpaste are just some of the problems to have hit headlines around the world in recent months.

China this week executed the former head of its food and drug safety watchdog for corruption, in what was widely seen as an attempt by the government to show it is serious about the problem.

In apparent retaliation for US moves, China late last week announced it was suspending the imports of frozen chicken feet, pig ears and other animal parts from 10 companies in the US, Vietnam and the Philippines after inspectors found traces of chemicals and dangerous bacteria.

A government notice did not say how long the suspensions would last, but ordered the firms to immediately report to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Bush's decision came a day after a US congressional panel warned that less than one percent of food imports to the United States are inspected, raising alarms over Chinese and Asian fish products after a spate of health scares.

The panel also found that US authorities had known for years that seafood imports from Asia were arriving in packages treated with carbon monoxide gas to make them look fresher than they really are.

"Who needs Al-Qaeda when you have got e-coli?" asked Jay Inslee, a representative from the western US state of Washington, warning that the threat from food laced with bacteria should be treated as seriously as "the war on terror."

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