July 30, 2009
Contact: Sue Hensley 202-331-5964, Maureen Ryan (202) 331-5939

Washington, D.C. - National Restaurant Association President and CEO, Dawn Sweeney, made the following statement regarding today's vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009:

"The National Restaurant Association applauds Chairman Emeritus John Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ranking Members Joe Barton (R-Texas) for their leadership and collaborative approach to reform our nation's food safety system. We are pleased with the legislation's focus on prevention, increased resources and risk-based approach to targeting those resources.

"The safety of the food supply continues to be the restaurant industry’s number one priority, and we - like consumers - rely on a supply chain that needs to provide restaurants with safe food to serve guests. We have been a strong supporter of comprehensive reforms that increase consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply. Confidence in the food supply is critical to the success of our industry and to consumers across America.

"As restaurateurs, we depend upon the food safety system to give our customers the dining experience they have come to expect. While we believe that the Food Safety Enhancement Act is a good step toward achieving that goal, we are still encouraging improvements to be made to the final legislation. We look forward to furthering our work with Congress as legislation moves through the process."