The Right Ingredient to Any Family Meal this September: Food Safety

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.

who frontpage

member frontpage

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.

In my dual professional role as a food safety practitioner and a registered dietitian, I happen to have two passions that coalesce in September: our FMI Foundation campaign that encourages households to enjoy one more meal each week together using items from the grocery store, National Family Meals Month™, in addition to September’s annual focus on consumer food safety awareness.

The following article originally in <a href="http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1115122303486&ca=449ee580-6488-4a75-ab97-c3cef66727fb" target="_blank">IGA's The Independent View </a>newsletter on September 15, 2017: By Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, CFS, Chief Food & Product Safety Officer and Senior Vice President, Food Safety Programs, Food Marketing Institute <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/fmi-food-safey-team-and-friends.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=44267e6e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="FMI Food Safety Team hanging with E (E. coli), Sal (Salmonella), and Liz (Listeria)" title="mg-caption: FMI Food Safety Team hanging with E (E. coli), Sal (Salmonella), and Liz (Listeria)" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> In my dual professional role as a food safety practitioner and a registered dietitian, I happen to have two passions that coalesce in September: our FMI Foundation campaign that encourages households to enjoy one more meal each week together using items from the grocery store, <a href="https://www.fmi.org/family-meals">National Family Meals Month™</a>, in addition to September’s annual focus on consumer food safety awareness. In our recent consumer trends research, <a href="https://www.fmi.org/our-research/research-reports/u-s-grocery-shopper-trends">FMI U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2017</a>, we found that 95 percent of U.S. shoppers trust the food they purchase from the grocery store is safe, so for me, National Family Meals Month summons all of the ways in which food retailers can nurture shopper trust and help their customers take better control over their own health by employing safe food handling at home. In fact, the <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/food-safety-education-month/" target="_blank">Partnership for Food Safety Education</a> has simple resources on how to help consumers take steps to clean, separate, cook and chill when they are in their home kitchens, and for the last 20 years, the organization has tirelessly worked to provide free resources to food retailers. The Partnership has resources to help guide your in-store communications plans and recommends including food safety instructions in recipes because this action results in better compliance by consumers. Here are a few general guidelines on how your store can offer food safety tips in your featured recipes and family meal solutions in September and beyond: <ol> <li>Build food safety steps into the preparation instructions – and repetition is key to adoption! Include simple techniques such as using separate surfaces and utensils for uncooked/raw ingredients.</li> <li>Begin with handwashing instructions and repeat as needed, especially if the consumer is handling raw ingredients.</li> <li>Include end-point cooking temperatures and recommend the use of a thermometer.</li> </ol> Food safety has always been a priority for the supermarket industry, so it’s only natural for food retailers to help educate shoppers as they inspire them to make or assemble their best family meals this September. I know you’ll also find ways to blend your enjoyment of food and culinary exploration with responsible food safety steps. For more resources, visit the <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-education/food-safety-education-month/" target="_blank">Partnership for Food Safety Education </a>and the tools that exist for <a href="https://www.fmi.org/family-meals">National Family Meals Month</a>.

Read full article on FMI

Menus

Some of the main menus of the template are now set via the template parameters saving you having to set up menu modules for each menu. From this section you can choose what menus you would like connected with these pre assigned menu areas of the template.

Copyright Information

Enter the copyright information that will appear in the footer area of your template.

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.