Another day, another food scare and this time the fright is over that most staple of foods - milk.

Milk, says the government, could possibly carry a bacteria linked to Crohn's Disease, a chronic intestine inflammation which, in some cases, leads to tumours.

But it is, it stresses, only a small risk. Further investigation is needed and the public should not put a hold on their daily pinta.

This latest advice is part of the government's new policy of openness on food safety. It comes as it continues to deal with the aftermath of BSE and the ensuing beef ban.

Foods Minister Jeff Rooker: Cover-ups cause food scares

But it will also come as a blow to farmers still reeling from the loss of hundreds of thousands of cattle through the BSE crisis. Not to mention the public who, at best, must be confused over what exactly they dare put into their mouths.

So do we really need this level of openness? Is the government causing more harm than good? Are there cases where what we do not know cannot hurt us?

Dr Norman Simmonds of the Advisory Committee for the Microbiological Safety of Food Safety, said that the government was only trying to be honest with the consumer.

He said: "What's the alternative? If it's concealed the government is accused of hiding it. If it's revealed they are accused of being alarmist. The answer is to tell the truth."

Professor Jack Pearce reported the milk findings to the government: "They are of relatively little use"

But critics do not agree. They say that in the wake of big scares like BSE, the public neither needs nor wants to know about every small risk that may emerge.

If the alarm needs to be raised at all, let it only be for very real and present dangers in food. Otherwise, we could stop taking notice altogether.

It remains to be seen how the public reacts to this latest advice. But if it is badly, farmers and retailers could again be counting the cost.

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