SQFI Continues to Elevate Food Safety Auditing in 2018

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.

Today, consumers’ tastes change rapidly as they seek new food experiences. Shoppers desire more diverse products and are using a variety of channels to satisfy these cravings. As their food palate is expanding, so is their understanding of food safety. Shoppers expect their food to be safe and trust that it is. Knowing that consumer trust is hard won, but easily lost, means maintaining confidence in a safe supply chain has never been more crucial.

<p dir="ltr">By: Robert Garfield, Chief Food Safety Auditor, Senior Vice President, Safe Quality Food Institute<img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/sqf.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=a71d4d6e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="SQF" title="SQF" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /></p> <p dir="ltr">Today, consumers’ tastes change rapidly as they seek new food experiences. Shoppers desire more diverse products and are using a variety of channels to satisfy these cravings. As their food palate is expanding, so is their understanding of food safety. Shoppers expect their food to be safe and trust that it is. Knowing that consumer trust is hard won, but easily lost, means maintaining confidence in a safe supply chain has never been more crucial. Consumer attitudes demand it; a more robust regulatory and legislative agenda supports it; and the moral imperative to provide customers with safe food all add up to mean that buyers must do more to protect consumers and their brands. The increasing shopper demand for food safety assurances make it paramount to have an SQF program as part of your business plan, whether that means implementing an internal retail food safety management program or requiring SQF Certification for your supply chain.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <h5 dir="ltr">Food Safety Fundamentals</h5> <p dir="ltr">Food safety is a critical component of a successful supplier/buyer trading partnership. SQFI has created an approach for small- to medium-sized food producers that do not have a robust food safety program in place. This program helps small suppliers start down the path of food safety management while satisfying immediate buyer needs.</p> <p dir="ltr">SQFI recently released the Fundamentals Program for Food Manufacturing and the Fundamentals Program for Primary Producers. Each program has both basic and intermediate levels and provides a step-by-step approach to improve food safety management. The SQF Fundamentals Program helps facilitate retailer acceptance of entrepreneurs, providing food safety security and acceptance along the supply chain. SQFI has also developed online and in-person training and free tools and resources to help these small- to medium-sized businesses understand how to properly build their food safety plans. Visit our <a href="https://www.sqfi.com/what-is-the-sqf-program/sqf-fundamentals-program/">SQF Fundamentals Program page</a> for more information. </p> <h5 dir="ltr">The SQF Food Safety Code for Retail</h5> <p dir="ltr">The SQF Food Safety Code for Retail was introduced earlier this year as a part of the SQF Edition 8 suite of codes. Developed to provide corporate retailers with a robust program that compliments the high standards set for their suppliers, the Retail Code helps instill confidence in a retailer’s food safety program at both the corporate and store levels. The SQF Retail audit differs from other third-party audits in that it examines the business as a whole, and how policies and requirements from corporate trickle down and are implemented in individual stores. This robust and comprehensive program gives corporate executives confidence in their policies and programs and helps everyone sleep better at night. Visit our <a href=" https://www.sqfi.com/what-is-the-sqf-program/sqf-food-safety-program/" target="_blank">SQF Food Safety Program page</a> for more information. </p> <h5 dir="ltr"> SQFI received latest GFSI Benchmarking</h5> <p dir="ltr">In 2018, SQFI submitted the SQF Edition 8 Codes to GFSI to be assessed against their new 7.1 Benchmarking Requirements. The benchmarking process ensures the SQF Edition 8 family of codes addresses new industry challenges and includes best practices and stakeholder input. The newly benchmarked SQF Edition 8 Codes include the SQF Code for Primary Production, Manufacturing, Manufacture of Food Packaging, and Storage and Distribution.</p> <h5 dir="ltr">Introducing a New SQFI Website</h5> <p dir="ltr">To support SQFI’s role as the leading voice in Food Safety and Quality, we identified a need to redesign our website with the user’s experience in mind. We realized the website needed to be more intuitive and more user friendly for our stakeholders to navigate. We created an experience that allows any individual to navigate the website and learn about food safety and quality. We also wanted to ensure that those who need food safety certifications are able to locate information with the least amount of clicks possible.</p> <p dir="ltr">After many months of development, SQFI is excited to launch the newly redesigned<a href="http://www.sqfi.com/"> www.SQFI.com</a>, along with many of its helpful new features. New features include a dynamic Events and Training page, interactive Certification Body and Training Center maps, a meticulously organized resource center, Hire a Scholar page, and much more.</p> <div> </div>

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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.