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Rio's Maracana stadium in food safety scare

Xinhua, March 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Authorities have seized more than 45kg of expired food during a raid of Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium, the showpiece venue for next year's Olympic Games.

Agents from local consumer protection watchdog Procon found the products during Sunday's soccer derby between Fluminense and Botafogo, Procon said in a statement on Monday.

Among the items confiscated were sausages, eggs, pork, chocolate and cheese.

The Maracana stadium hosted last year's FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina after undergoing a three-year, 500 million US-dollar upgrade.

The venue will also stage the opening and closing ceremonies, and soccer, at next year's Olympic Games.

Procon did not say if a penalty would be applied to the stadium's operator Consorcio Maracana

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 Maracana could not be reached for comment on Monday.

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 50kg 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, on the city's outskirts. Endi