ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — New York State’s Department of Agriculture and Markets has launched a week-long effort to keep consumers educated about how the state’s food supply is protected. Those efforts to stop food borne illnesses among New Yorkers start in a state-of-the-art laboratory in Albany.
“We have a very complex laboratory. That’s why we are so proud of it,” Maria Ishida explained. She is the director of the lab at the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Inside the multi-story facility that is outfitted with the latest technology, there are multiple experiments unfolding simultaneously. Ishida helped NEWS10 make sense of all the different components. The scientists work around the clock as one of the first lines of defense to keep the food supply safe for consumption.
“The work that we do, sometimes, you don’t see immediately,” she explained.
The team tests for food borne pathogens like listeria, salmonella and e. coli, which can cause severe illness and have a huge financial impact. Katie Howard, the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Agriculture and Markets, added, “With an unsafe food supply, you are seeing impacts across the state. They are not able to go to work. They are not able to care for loved ones. So we want to make sure we take it very seriously.”
Teams of inspectors pull samples from food stores, farms, and processing facilities. Researchers at the lab then test for undeclared ingredients, heavy metals, unregulated dyes, and allergens like peanuts and sulfites, which are often used to preserve certain ingredients. The lab uses the latest techniques in analytical detection to conduct thousands of tests. Last year alone, the food lab examined more than 20,000 samples, and their results led to 171 food recalls.
Ishida added, “Just the fact that you potentially save so many lives.”
Howard said, “But the consumer also has a role.”
From food storage to sanitizing surfaces and utensils as well as cooking meats at the right temperature, it all helps decrease illness.
This week the department is sharing food safety guidelines and recommendations and educating New Yorkers about common misconceptions.
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