By
DEBORAH A. MILES On May 6, PEF Division 275 members who work at the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Laboratory on the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany gave a huge sigh of relief. After being in a two-year holding pattern, they were thrilled to learn their lab would stay in the Capital Region.
The plan was to move the lab to Geneva and was proposed by former Gov. George Pataki. According to the Albany members, it was a horrible choice.
They mobilized, held press conferences, wrote letters to lawmakers, wore pins at work, explained to the governor and the media the benefits of monitoring the state’s food supply from the Albany area, and then waited for a decision.
“We are pleased Gov. David Paterson and Commissioner Patrick Hooker let policy, not politics, dictate the decision on the location of the new food testing lab,” said PEF President Ken Brynien.
Although the precise location for the new lab has not been decided, the state budget includes a $40 million re-appropriation for construction of the new building.
“The sooner we get into the new building, the more we can bring in federal
money by working on grant projects such as the USDA-funded FERN
(Food Emergency Response Network) and Microbiological Data Programs (MDP),” said Dr. Brian Sauders, senior food bacteriologist and counter terrorism/FERN program manager.
“The announcement was a weight off our shoulders,” Sauders said. “Some of the FERN-grant protocols involving bioterrorism response require a biosafety-level 3 facility,” Sauders said. “A new building will help us meet the requirements our science demands from us. It will enhance our ability to do our jobs.”
The Food Lab has expertise in food-related chemistry and microbiology as well as pesticide residue. As a division of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the lab supports the regulatory programs in food safety, milk control and horticulture.
“The food lab division should really be named the Food Safety Regulatory Laboratory,” Sauders said. “We really are involved in food safety from farm to fork.”
“This staff has a lot of experience,” said Debbie Oglesby, assistant director at the Food Lab. “If the lab had been moved to Geneva, you would have a building without any experienced employees. It’s important for us to be near other state laboratories. I’m relieved the best decision was made for the state.
