ALBANY - The lab that tests New York's food and drink for E. coli, poisons and plain old rot is moving from its Albany home to the Finger Lakes region.

Gov. George Pataki on Saturday announced $40 million in state money to build the new lab at the Cornell Agriculture & Food Technology Park in Geneva.

“The recent E. coli outbreak from fresh spinach illustrates the importance of having a strong and vigilant food surveillance,” Pataki said in a statement.

The lab, operated by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, tested more than 20,000 food, drink, feed and fertilizer samples last year.

Geneva is about 45 miles southwest of Syracuse.

AP-ES-09-23-06 1232EDT