Team GB has had to fly out an extra emergency chef to the Paris Olympics to help cater for star athletes amid mounting complaints of food shortages and uncooked meat spoiling the atmosphere in the Olympic Village.
‘Our athletes have decided they would rather go and eat in our performance lodge in Clichy, so we are having to get another chef to come over as the demand is far exceeding what we thought it would be,’ Andy Anson, chief exec of the British Olympic Association told The Times.
Olympians promised cuisine designed by Michelin-starred chefs have lamented the food on offer as British athletes resort to taking packed lunches back to the village for their evening meal with just one day to go until the opening ceremony.
Mr Anson told the newspaper there are ‘usually two or three issues’ at the start of every Games, but the food in France is proving a major problem in the camp.
‘There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates. And then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes,’ he said.
‘They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically’.
The Olympic Village’s catering partner, Sodexo Live!, said it had taken feedback from athletes ‘seriously’, noting that volumes will be increased to ‘satisfy the needs of the athletes’ after noticing a ‘very high demand for certain products’.
The Carrefour group, which is responsible for sourcing 600 tonnes of fresh produce for the Olympics, confirmed that in light of ‘the initial assessments of the meals consumed, it has been requested to revise upwards the quantities initially planned, which the group will be able to satisfy.’
Andy Anson, pictured in 2010, said the food was ‘not adequate’ and needs to improve ‘dramatically’ in the coming days
IOC President Thomas Bach tries food from a salad bar while touring the Olympic Village ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Monday
People walk in front of the Olympic village canteen at the Athletes’ Village of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint Denis, France on Tuesday. The Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in Paris
The Carrefour group, which is responsible for sourcing 600 tonnes of fresh produce for the Olympics, said it would need to revise its quantities (Pictured: supermarket in the Village)
In recent days, many Olympians have claimed that the amount of food available in the canteen of the Village is insufficient, French newspaper L’Equipe reported, just six days after it opened to competitors.
Eggs and grilled meats reportedly had to be rationed on Wednesday during the breakfast service.
British athletes are now reportedly boycotting the restaurants set up for them because of concern about both the quality and quantity on offer.
Although the problem has been mitigated somewhat given the island location of Team GB’s base, which affords them access to a smaller, less-populated restaurant.
The event’s food service is gearing up to serve more than 13 million meals in the next month, with some 15,000 international athletes from 208 different territories arriving for the start of the Games on Friday.
France had boasted that Michelin-starred chefs would be designing dishes for the athletes living in the Village between now and August 11.
Amandine Chaignot, Alexandre Mazzia and Akrame Benallal are among the top French chefs who have helped to craft the menu offered at a 3,500 seat restaurant in the Olympic village.
There are also salad bars, fruit stalls, a cheese stand, desserts, soups, daily specials and a buffet alongside the more classically French offerings.
Around 80 per cent of the food will be from France – and 100 per cent of the meat has been sourced from French supplier.
Light chocolate raspberry mousse and crunchy tuile dishes of French chef Stephane Chicheri chief executive of Sodexo Live are displayed. The company has been tasked with serving 40,000 meals a day at the Olympic Village
Executive chef for the Olympic Village of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Charles Guilloy from Sodexo Live!, poses in Rungis, near Paris
Team GB at the Paris 2024 Athlete Village on the 23rd July 2024
The problem has been mitigated somewhat given the island location of Team GB’s base (pictured), which affords them access to a smaller, less-populated restaurant
The International Olympic Committee had mandated the food must be local, primarily plant-based, and focused on minimal waste.
Nearly two-thirds of the 500 dishes on offer will be vegetarian, including meat-free options like beefless bourguignon and ‘not-dogs’, a meatless option featuring onions and pickled cabbage with honey-mustard sauce.
Leftovers will be redistributed to those in need, and used coffee grinds will be repurposed for fertilisation.
The sustainable menu aims to meet the diverse cultural, religious and nutritional needs of athletes while showcasing French gastronomy.
