When 400 pounds of samples from food bound for the Democratic National Convention arrived at a certain lab in Virginia, it was just another day at the office for scientists there.

It didn’t matter that the meat and poultry was part of the menu for the likes of convention delegates, political leaders and possibly the next president of the United States. The same precision, attention to detail and sense of urgency the scientists used for the Philadelphia-bound food is part of daily routine at Virginia’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services. “I hope the average Joe would realize that you don’t have to be running for president to have safe food,” said Angela Fritzinger, deputy director of the state’s consolidated laboratory. “We do this every day to ensure the safety of food for the public.” Fritzinger said for the convention food samples scientists at the Virginia lab were tasked with receiving, documenting, dividing and packaging it, before sending it to six other labs across the country for actual testing. As with evidence in a criminal case, the samples required a strictly documented chain of custody to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the tests. Once the other labs in the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) received the samples they were tested for pathogens such as E. coli and listeria monocytogenes, just like samples randomly pulled for testing from grocery stores by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the convention food had to pass additional tests. Fritzinger said the meat and poultry was also tested for substances such as anthrax and the bacteria that causes botulism poisoning, as well as poisons such as arsenic and strychnine. The labs also checked the meat for any traces of radioactive substances.

Results of the tests were to be reported Friday, 10 days before the start of the July 25-28 convention. Fritzinger said she “couldn’t reveal the test results if she wanted to” because of national security concerns. If a problem was detected, the July 15 result deadline would have given convention organizers enough time to secure new food and have it tested. Virginia’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services was also involved in food safety testing for food used at the 2012 political conventions and President Obama’s 2013 inauguration. The lab in Richmond, VA, is a back-up lab for the Republican National Convention that starts today and runs through Thursday in Cleaveland. Fritzinger said the staff will be on stand-by in case a need for emergency or surge testing comes up during the event. A number of federal agencies are working to ensure the safety of the food at the conventions, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration. As is the case every day, the USDA is in charge of meat, poultry, eggs, dairy and catfish, while FDA has jurisdiction over all other foods. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)