Trump’s Mar-a-Lago eateries hit with food safety violations
Trump held summits and fed China’s Xi Jinping and Japan’s Shinzo Abe in Florida resort
Unsafe seafood. Insufficiently refrigerated meats. Rusty shelving. Cooks without hairnets.
Reports show Florida health inspectors cited President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with 15 violations in late January, days before the US leader hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a diplomatic visit. He hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping there just last week.
Still, the state inspectors allowed the luxury resort’s main restaurant and beach club grill to remain open as staff scrambled to make several immediate corrections.
Among the “high priority” problems described as “potentially hazardous” were faulty fridges with meats stored well above the required 41 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler, the duck and beef were measured at 50 degrees, while a ham was at 57.
Other issues included smoked salmon being served without undergoing “proper parasite destruction.” A hand washing sink for employees ran water that was not hot enough.
Stephen Lawson, spokesman for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said the violations were the result of a routine inspection and were not prompted by any consumer complaints or food-borne illnesses.