In addition to the most obvious security issues surrounding the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul in September, numerous food service employees and government officials are working to ensure that the meals served at area establishments are safe, and that any possible food-borne illness can be controlled.


One example: Inspectors stopped by 23 restaurants in St. Paul in May, collecting milk, pop, juice, lettuce and muffins — 84 samples altogether — to be sent to six federal emergency response labs located throughout the country. Some establishments in Minneapolis and Bloomington were also tested. The idea was to make sure that labs could respond to a large-scale emergency involving contaminated food, according to Bill Gunther, environmental health manager for the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections.


None of the samples was contaminated, as it turned out, and the labs were able to deal with the high volume. Another round of testing will be undertaken closer to convention time. Gunther said the convention places a huge burden on local restaurants, hotels and caterers, and many will rely on more temp workers than usual to help feed the multitudes.


The RNC raises the stakes owing to security fears that someone might mess with food to deliberately harm delegates. Food service employees will be trained to react to the "general threat of possible overt tampering with the food supply," Gunther said, likening the planning to that surrounding Y2K, before 2000. "People depend on you. You have to be able to deal with the worst-case scenario for everything."


At the Xcel Energy Center alone, the convention hub, as many as 50,000 people will eat up to 200,000 meals, estimated Gunther. Some news outlets that will be camped out at the Xcel will rely on catered meals at all hours of the day. Outside the Xcel, the city’s 800 restaurants individually dish out around 200 meals daily. (Of those, about 70 restaurants are located within a half-mile of the Xcel.) Further, the Capitol building could draw as many as 50,000 protesters, Gunther said, who will also need food and drink. Food tents will be stationed outside the Capitol to cater to them and other passersby.


Further, food inspectors from all over will be on hand to do spot checks in local eateries, sometimes multiple times a day, to catch any obvious hazards. "Trying to control environmental variables is very important," notes Gunther.


David Miller, general manager for the St. Paul Hotel, says the increased enforcement and beefed-up food security will have little bearing on the everyday workings at the hotel. While he is looking into extending the restaurant’s hours and requiring reservations during high volume times, he maintains that the RNC will demand "nothing beyond our normal great service," he said.


Chef Sue Greenwood, who works at Restaurant 11 housed in St. Paul’s Crowne Plaza, says that although it’s somewhat nervewracking, she doesn’t mind the increased surveillance. The restaurant is working closely with vendors and the city and state. During the convention, she expects a surplus of 10,000 people to come through the dining room. "We want to be sure everyone knows who to call and what to do," she said. Though she is looking forward to a boost in business, she admits, "I’ll probably be even more glad when it’s over."