According to a report from Nation’s Restaurant News, “the National Restaurant Association praised members of the U.S. House for passing a wide-ranging measure to overhaul the Food and Drug Administration and address problems with the nation’s food supply.”

“The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, or H.R. 2749, passed Thursday afternoon by a vote of 283 to 142. The measure is designed to strengthen the country’s food safety system and respond to recent food poisoning outbreaks involving items like peanut products, peppers and spinach. The measure gives the FDA more power to investigate food producers, require food manufacturers to write and facilitate safety plans, and track and recall unsafe food products, among other things.”

“The bill originally had come up for vote Wednesday under expedited procedures that limited debate to 40 minutes and prohibited any amendments. However, the measure fell seven votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass it. The final vote Wednesday was 280 in favor of passage and 150 against it. Following the defeat on Wednesday, lawmakers said they would reintroduce the measure again Thursday under a rule that would require a simple majority of 218 votes for passage,” the story said.