Five Questions to Ask About Your Food Defense Plan

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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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 defense has long been a priority for retailers. Grocers have established food defense plans to actively prevent intentional contamination in the food supply chain

By: Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, CFS, Chief Food and Product Safety Officer and Sr. Vice President, Food Safety Programs, Food Marketing Institute <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/store-securitycbcf1a0324aa67249237ff0000c12749.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=18657d6e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Store Security" title="Store Security" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;" />Food defense has long been a priority for retailers. Grocers have established food defense plans to actively prevent intentional contamination in the food supply chain. However, it seems like every time we turn on the news, we witness another event that drastically changes the world, and consequently, impacting the way grocers do business. As global threats change and we learn of new targets, grocery stores remain well positioned to serve as trusted allies to shoppers. FMI’s <a href="https://www.fmi.org/our-research/research-reports/u-s-grocery-shopper-trends">U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2017</a> reports 95 percent of U.S. shoppers trust their grocery store to ensure the food that they purchase is safe. It’s now more imperative than ever for food retailers and wholesalers to remain vigilant to protect their businesses and maintain customers’ trust. In September, FMI was made aware of unsubstantiated media reports stating terrorist networks were encouraging attacks on western supermarkets. In such situations, FMI works with the appropriate federal agencies regarding any threats or rumors of threats to shape our response. To assist our members, FMI hosted a food defense webinar with Rod Wheeler from the <a href="http://www.myfooddefense.com/">Global Food Defense Institute</a>, to help food retailers evaluate their current food defense plans. During the webinar, Wheeler posed several important questions to consider when developing and/or evaluating your store’s food defense plan: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li>What are the basic tenets of terrorism?</li> <li>Is your facility a soft-target or hard-target?</li> <li>What security measures do you have in place to prevent and identify to prevent product tampering and other malicious activity?</li> <li>Are your team members knowledgeable about and the role they play in keeping the food supply safe and secure?  </li> <li>Is your store and premises secure?</li> </ul> Ensure your company is prepared for a crisis before one occurs. For more information, you can view last week’s webinar <a href="https://www.fmi.org/events-education/webinars/member-only-webinars/view/webinar-recordings-member-only/2017/09/28/food-defense-preventing-intentional-contamination-of-the-food-supply-webinar">here</a>. Additional resources on Food Defense programs can be found below:  <ul> <li>FDA Food Defense Plan Builder <a href="http://fmi.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03b48dc865603bf84c48b205e&id=cc59a238a4&e=0da053d357">https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodDefense/ToolsEducationalMaterials/ucm349888.htm</a> </li> <li>FDA Resources <a href="http://fmi.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03b48dc865603bf84c48b205e&id=6591e5e0a2&e=0da053d357">https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodDefense/default.htm</a> </li> <li>USDA Resources <a href="http://fmi.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03b48dc865603bf84c48b205e&id=d39234bb16&e=0da053d357">https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-defense-defense-and-emergency-response</a> </li> <li>FBI Field Office Listing <a href="http://fmi.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=03b48dc865603bf84c48b205e&id=b5796c7a3f&e=0da053d357">https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices</a> </li> <li>The Food Protection and Defense Institute <a href="https://foodprotection.umn.edu/">https://foodprotection.umn.edu/</a> </li> </ul>

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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.