Food Safety Education: How to Talk Food Safety with your Customers

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

Driving Local Business and Community Growth Across West Virginia

Our Purpose and Commitment

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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Join a Community that Champions, Connects, and Elevates!

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.

Food retailers have invested tremendous resources in food safety over the past two decades. Food safety is the foundation of food retailers’ relationships with their customers—consumers expect the food they purchase is safe. According to US Grocery Shopper Trends 2016 (FMI), nearly nine out of 10 shoppers have confidence in the safety of the food at the grocery store. Also, an increasing number of consumers are taking personal responsibility for food safety compared to just six years ago.

By: Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, Chief Food and Product Safety Officer and Vice President, Food Safety Programs <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/fight-bac-logo.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Fight BAC Logo" title="Fight BAC Logo" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> Food retailers have invested tremendous resources in food safety over the past two decades. Food safety is the foundation of food retailers’ relationships with their customers—consumers expect the food they purchase is safe. According to <a href="http://www.fmi.org/research-resources/u-s-grocery-shopper-trends">US Grocery Shopper Trends 2016</a> (FMI), nearly nine out of 10 shoppers have confidence in the safety of the food at the grocery store. Also, an increasing number of consumers are taking personal responsibility for food safety compared to just six years ago. Food retailers are a credible and very accessible source of food safety information for consumers. For this reason, FMI has been a founding member and partner of the <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/">Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE)</a> since its inception in 1997. PFSE is better known as the <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/">FightBac!® campaign</a> which promotes  four core practices for food safety– Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. The FightBac!® campaign provides food safety education to a variety of audiences through a network of health and food safety educators, called BAC Fighters. The retail food industry is an integral part of the BAC Fighter network.  Because interacting with customers is essential for doing business, grocers are well-positioned to put food safety information at shoppers’ fingertips. Over the years, PFSE has developed campaigns and toolkits for retailers to use in stores to help promote safe food handling at home. <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/pfse-transparent-logo-with-tagline.tmb-small.png?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="PFSE transparent-logo-with-tagline" title="PFSE transparent-logo-with-tagline" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" /> FMI supports PFSE through the FMI Foundation to make the resources available to all FMI members to use.  Please feel free to use the PFSE materials and call upon PSFE or FMI staff for assistance. Here are some of the most popular PFSE resources: ProducePro: <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/safe-produce/">http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/safe-produce/</a> Go 40 or below: <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/40-or-below/">http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/40-or-below/</a> The Story of Your Dinner: <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/the-story-of-your-dinner/">http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/the-story-of-your-dinner/</a> Be Food Safe: <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/free-resources/be-food-safe-resources-2/">http://www.fightbac.org/free-resources/be-food-safe-resources-2/</a> Partnership for Food Safety Education Website: <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/">http://www.fightbac.org/</a> Get more ideas for educating shoppers about foods safety practices at the <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/events/conference/">2017 Consumer Food Safety Education Conference</a>--Advancing Food Safety through Behavior Change January 25-27, 2017 in Washington, DC.

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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.