Barack Obama couldn’t partake in tasting a delicious menu of lobster, potato chips and blueberry pie on Thursday at a dinner with Senate Republicans because his taster hadn’t verified the food was safe.

According to Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, though he couldn’t indulge, Barack Obama “looked longingly at it”.

Susan Collins had organized the Thursday dinner, held in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room off the Senate chamber, and paid homage to her home state with a bevy of local delicacies.

She said that the menu included: “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,” according to an audio clip obtained by the Daily Caller.

Barack Obama couldn’t participate at a dinner with Senate Republicans because his taster hadn’t verified the food was safe

“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,” Susan Collins told the press after the meeting that lasted 90 minutes.Though GOP Senators who attended the event enjoyed the cuisine, the honored guest had to exercise self control and watch the others pleasure their taste buds.

“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,” Susan Collins said.

“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.”

The security service keeps details of its security measures for the president under wraps but it is widely suspected that Barack Obama travels with a food taster.