The Future Is Now: The Impact of Technology and Innovation on Global Food Safety

Promoting and Advancing Petroleum Marketing, Retail Grocery, and Convenience Stores in West Virginia

Driving Local Business and Community Growth Across West Virginia

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OMEGA is a West Virginia-based organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the business interests of the state’s petroleum marketing, retail grocery, and convenience store industries.

As a network of over 225 locally owned businesses, OMEGA actively promotes cooperation, advocates for favorable legislation, and provides education and resources to its members. With over 50,000 employees, OMEGA members significantly contribute to the state’s economy, generating more than 10% of all state taxes and supporting local communities through scholarships, charitable donations, and civic involvement.

OMEGA is committed to fostering industry growth while serving West Virginians with essential services like fuel, food, and convenience.

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Your Essential Connection in West Virginia

OMEGA offers three types of membership: Convenience Store Members, Petroleum Marketer Members, and Grocer Members, all of which play a vital role in providing fuel, food, and essentials across West Virginia. As a liaison with state and national agencies, OMEGA works closely with organizations like NACS, PMAA, FMI, and the N.G.A. to advocate on behalf of its members.

We keep members informed through newsletters, legislative updates, an online resource hub, and educational seminars. Additional member benefits include access to the Encova Workers’ Compensation Discount Program and participation in our annual Trade Expo and fundraising efforts for children’s charities. OMEGA is here to support, advocate, and enhance the success of our industry members.

The global food safety community has been adapting to unprecedented business operations and procedures at a breathtaking pace over the past eight-plus months.

By: Mark Baum, FMI Chief Collaboration Officer and Senior Vice President of Industry Relations, FMI <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/sqfglobalpanel.tmb-large-350-.png?sfvrsn=44475591_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="SQFGlobalPanel" title="SQFGlobalPanel" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;" />The global food safety community has been adapting to unprecedented business operations and procedures at a breathtaking pace over the past eight-plus months. This velocity of change has accelerated technological advancements into new ways of doing business. During the recent SQFI Global virtual event, I had the pleasure of hosting a dynamic conversation with Allison Jennings, director of food safety & compliance, Amazon; Randy Fields, chairman and chief executive officer, Repositrak; and Roy Kirby, global director, microbiology, food safety, and toxicology at Mondelez International.  The panel of experts shared perspectives on the current and future impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and other technology-enabled tools on the global food safety industry. From our discussion, it is clear that practitioners and service providers can further leverage technology within auditing programs and throughout the supply chain.  Fields said during our conversation, “The role technology currently plays in the quality assurance and quality control arenas cannot be understated and functions as the backbone of present-day supply chain compliance and audits, with AI serving as the linchpin for the future of compliance management.” As the food and product safety community moves forward, companies will need to enable a new set of business rules that require planning, communicating and technology connections between partners in the supply chain.  Adhering to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standard and applying a variety of advanced tools - such as artificial intelligence and machine learning - will improve partnerships making compliance easier and more manageable. Simply put, the need to verify a supplier’s product is safe in the supply chain is necessary, and technology is enabling companies to do so in more efficient ways. I believe that consumer demand for safer food has never been greater. The tools at the industry's disposal to deliver safe food, the risk assessment capability, and the analytics we have continue to be top of mind. The key for the industry is to maintain, and the key to maintaining consumer trust is transparency.   SQF Global was an event hosted by the Safe Quality Food Institute, a division of FMI. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.sqfi.com/">sqfi.com</a>

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Supporting West Virginia Communities

OMEGA members play a vital role in West Virginia, supporting communities through substantial tax contributions and a wide-reaching presence across the state. With over 55% of the population living in border counties, our members are dedicated to serving both local and regional needs. Beyond business, we’re proud to give back, having contributed over $3.1 million to children’s charities since 2003, reflecting our commitment to making a positive difference.