Moves at a European level to improve food safety and heighten transparency continued this week with European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne announcing on Monday that weekly reports from the rapid alert system for food and feed will now be available online.

The rapid alert system is a network of national authorities managed by the European Commission that exchanges information on measures taken to address potential health risks in the area of food and feed. All reports will now be published on the Commission's Europa website.

Announcing the news at the Agricultural Council David Byrne said that information will be provided on the type of product and the problem identified, the origin of the product and the notifying Member State.

However, transparency will only go so far and certain information will be protected. "We have to strike the necessary balance between openness and commercially sensitive information, such as names of companies," said Byrne. Adding that the system has gained a high level of credibility from all parties involved, and fears of negative publicity should not jeopardise the good co-operation so far achieved.

The rapid alert system aims to encourage the quick exchange of information about food related risks and sets out to ensure coherent and simultaneous actions by all Member States. For Byrne, "a very important contribution to consumer safety."

Previous moves by the Commission to improve transparency include the publication online of an annual activity report for 2002 for the rapid alert system. The report provides an overview of all the notifications, the breakdown of notifications by notifying Member State, by food product concerned, by the hazard identified and by producing country.