The Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health have launched a new Web site that, when fully developed, will provide a mechanism for the reporting of pre- and post-market safety data to the federal government.

Currently, the Web site can be used to report safety problems related to foods, including animal feed, as well as adverse events that might happen in relation to human gene transfer trials. Consumers can also use the site to report problems with pet foods and pet treats.

The new site, called the Safety Reporting Portal, is meant to provide greater and easier access to online reporting.

FDA officials say it's a first step toward a common electronic reporting system that will offer one-stop shopping, allowing people to file a single report that may be of interest to several agencies.