Maracana Stadium in food safety scare

Authorities have seized more than 45 kg of expired food during a raid of the Maracana 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 Maracana Stadium hosted last year's FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina 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 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.

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.