Danger in Brazil! Expired food everywhere

Brazilian health officials have raided hotels that will host visiting World Cup teams, including England and Italy, and confiscated expired food such as shrimp and salmon from their kitchens.

“The checks were carried out as part of our drive to see food safety codes enforced as part of a round of inspections being undertaken given the close proximity of the World Cup,” Fabio Domingos, head of inspections at Rio de Janeiro state consumer protection agency Procon said.

Teams are arriving for the World Cup, which kicks off on June 12. About 600,000 foreign fans and 3.1 million Brazilians are also expected to descend on the 12 host cities.

Procon said its inspectors had found 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of expired shrimp, salmon, margarine and pasta at the Hotel Portobello, which will house the Italian delegation in Mangaratiba just west of Rio.

Domingos said the shrimp had expired in early April.

The inspectors also removed another 24 kilos of food that had no date labeling.

An inspection at the Royal Tulip Hotel in Rio, where England will stay, uncovered some two kilos of out-of-date salmon, butter and ham.

Procon said other hotels would be checked as “teams and fans are all consumers, and we are acting for their benefit.”

It said hotels must tell government officials why they have out of date food on the premises within 10 days or face a fine.