Although President Obama had a lunch meeting with GOP senators, he refused to eat because, according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), he did not have a "taster" present to test the food, the Daily Caller reported Thursday.
“University of Maine recipe for healthy lobster salad — I pointed that out to the president in keeping with the first lady’s initiatives and Fox Family Potato Chips made in Aroostook County where I’m from and wild blueberry pie full of anti-oxidants, see this was a healthy lunch as well. We did have a little ice cream on the pie too, also made in Maine, Gifford’s Ice Cream. So in all seriousness this was well received,” she told reporters.
“Unfortunately, you know, the president can’t,” she said when asked if Obama ate with them.
Collins said that Obama "looked longingly at" the food, but did not eat.
“He honestly did look longingly at it, but apparently he has to have essentially a taster, and I pointed out to him that we were all tasters for him, that if the food had been poisoned all of us would have keeled over so, but he did look longingly at it and he remarked that we have far better food than the Democrats do, and I said that was because I was hosting," she added.
The AFP reported in 2009 that Obama had a "tester" sample food while at a French restaurant but the Secret Service "has always refused to confirm that US presidents travel with a food 'taster', in line with their policy of discretion on all security related issues."
According to Obama Foodorama, the Fox Family potato chips are hand-sliced and made with Maine-grown russet potatoes.
On the day that Sen. Rand Paul held his marathon 13-hour filibuster, Obama treated a group of GOP senators to dinner at the Jefferson Hotel. The next day, he held a White House luncheon with Reps. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). There were no reports of a presidential food taster at either event.
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