The Food And Drug Administration and the Social Security Administration are showing the world that they believe in Southeast Queens’ future by setting up shop in downtown Jamaica.

The Food and Drug Administration located on the York College campus does more than test and pass products such as food, drugs and cosmetics and blood donations and it does more than assist regional farmers.

According to Eugenia Katsoudas, a bio-scientist at the Jamaica FDA building, grains, fruits and vegetables are tested at the Jamaica site. The agency does extensive testing on imported products and foods for pesticides and other chemicals.

"A certain amount of pesticide is to
be expected," said Katsoudas, because farmers have to grow food in bulk in order to produce enough to make money.

If a majority of the nation’s food supply were grown organically, experts estimate that you’d be paying $4 per pound for tomatoes and even more for broccoli.

"But we test for extreme amounts," she said.

Remarkably, Katsoudas also said that only about 5 percent of incoming products are tested due to the time and manpower involved.

We mostly test products coming from countries where there are known problems," she explained.

Testing is also done in Jamaica on products that have caused someone to get sick.

The Food and Drug Administration building on the York College campus is an active member of the community and is on the cutting edge of scientific research. PRESS Photos By Ira Cohen

"Anything bottled or processed that goes state to state gets tested, said Dilcia Granville, public affairs specialist at the Jamaica FDA building.

"If you make a cake for your neighborhood, we don’t get involved but if you’re taking it across state lines, then, we get involved," she said.

Representatives from the FDA assist to educate farmers on safe farming methods both in the US and abroad.

But the FDA is not all about food, drink and medication testing in their futuristic labs.

All manufacturing establishments get tested, according to Granville.

Even the Coca Cola Plant is inspected and if there are irregularities in procedures in any manufacturing facility then samples are taken back to the lab for testing, she said.

Agents also do spot checks at blood banks to ensure that the nation’s blood supply is safe.

Medical supplies and devices such as pacemakers are also tested at another FDA site and procedures such as laser eye surgeries are also monitored.

According to Granville, the FDA is involved in community outreach on various levels.

The FDA is in the throes of designing, with Dr. Charles Kidd at York College, a Masters program in Bio- Engineering, which will allow students to take advantage of the building’s state-of-the-art facility.

Younger students are also part of the agency’s strategy to make its presence known in the community. They offer tours to teenaged students and conduct step by step testing in the lab for them to see the procedure. It is all done in an effort to get them interested in the sciences.

"We’re reaching out to the community in many ways," said Granville.

"We’re going to all the libraries and offering workshops on women’s health issues and AIDS," she said.

Representatives from the agency’s public affairs office can also be seen at various events throughout the community, Glanville explained.

The FDA Labs conduct "Train the Trainer," which assists preschool instructors in passing on good health habits to children. They also conduct on-site workshops and tours for older children in an attempt to encourage interests in the sciences as possible career choices.

The FDA ties into the overall economic development of the community through its educational outreach. By exposing teens to the endless career possibilities in the sciences and by working with York, it is poised to stimulate the local economy with the next generation of professionals. It is also, according to a spokesperson, "a beautiful addition to the architecture of the community.

The FDA, according to Granville, wants to be an integral part of the community. Last year they participated in the annual JAMS festival, a collaboration of all downtown businesses, agencies and cultural institutions, headed by the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. It’s the event of the summer and a day when, according to one merchant, the businesses "clean up."

When the Social Security Administration building opened it’s automatic doors in 1988, it did so with the unspoken promise of economic development for the downtown Jamaica business district. Conveniently located on Parsons Boulevard and bordered by Jamaica and Archer Avenues, the building immediately became a magnet not just for jobs within its walls, it signaled a new era for the community.

Janet Barkan, director of the Jamaica Center Improvement Association/Business Improvement District, saw the impact coming and welcomed it.

"When the Social Security building opened, it brought the first real concrete realization of the importance of downtown Jamaica," said Barkan. "Most of the retail business had dissipated (such as Gertz and Mays) and the courts were all going to Queens Blvd. but by putting the Social Security Building on Jamaica Avenue and by the subway, it just started turning around."

According to Barkan, the Social Security building was the impetus that brought other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Labor and the new Family Court to the Avenue. They saw that it was poised for a comeback and jumped on the bandwagon.

"It’s like a balloon puzzle," she said. "It keeps expanding and I hope it never bursts."

Named in honor of the late Joseph P. Adabbo, the Social Security building provides more than social security checks and cards, it is where many in the Southeast Queens community earn a living. It also provides on-site childcare for employees. Employees from this agency also support the local economy by shopping on "The Avenue."