Olympics Off to Rocky Start in One Area: Food

Olympic athletes are hungrier than expected—not for medals, but for eggs. French newspaper L'Équipe reports on apparent food shortages in Paris' Olympic Village, where eggs had to be rationed at breakfast on Wednesday. Catering company Sodexo Live! confirmed certain items were in "very high demand" and that "volumes will be increased" to "satisfy the needs of the athletes," per the BBC. The Carrefour group, in charge of supplying fresh food, said it received a request to "revise upwards the quantities initially planned, which the group will be able to satisfy." All meat, milk, and eggs come from France, per the BBC, and 25% of all ingredients are sourced from within 150 miles of Paris.

The Washington Post has a feature on Alexandre Mazzia, a chef with three Michelin stars, who helped craft the food menus, said to feature 500 recipes from a variety of cuisines. But what's served is "not Michelin-starred food," German field-hockey player Christopher Ruehr tells Time. "It's OK, I guess." It's no easy feat feeding some 15,000 athletes. The Olympic Village expects to serve more than 13 million meals over the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the BBC reports. Still, "renowned worldwide for its cuisine," France is under particular pressure in this area, the Post reports, noting subpar meals "would be seen as a kind of national shame." (More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)