Maraca in food safety scare

Rio de Janeiro, March 10: Authorities have seized more than 45 kg of expired food during a raid of the Maraca Stadium, the showpiece venue for next year’s Olympics.

Agents from local consumer protection watchdog Procon found the products during Sunday’s football derby between Fluminense and Botafogo, Procon said in a statement on Monday. Among the items confiscated were sausages, eggs, pork, chocolate and cheese, reports Xinhua.

The Maraca Stadium hosted last year’s FIFA World Cup fil between Germany and Argenti after undergoing a three-year, $500 million upgrade. The venue will also stage the opening and closing ceremonies, and football matches, at next year’s Olympics.

Procon did not say if a pelty would be applied to the stadium’s operator Consorcio Maraca. The government organ inspected the stadium after fans missed the start of the Flamengo-Botafogo match the previous week due to long queues to redeem tickets bought online. Consorcio Maraca could not be reached for comment. It is not the first food scare to hit Rio’s hospitality sector as it prepares for a major sporting event. Health inspectors found more than 50 kg of food deemed unfit for consumption at the England and Italy team hotels just weeks before last year’s World Cup. England stayed at the Hotel Royal Tulip and Italy at the Portobello Hotel in the city’s outskirts. IANS