World Food Safety Day: There is No Food Security Without 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.

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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.

FMI and SQFI support World Food Safety Day because it promotes awareness of the importance of food safety and inspires actions for safer food. We encourage you to participate in World Food Safety Day raise awareness around food safety at all levels and around the world by joining the conversation #WorldFoodSafetyDay and following food safety guidelines every day.

By: Sarah Malenich, Director, Marketing & Sales, Safe Quality Food Institute, and Ashley Eisenbeiser, Director, Food and Product Safety Programs, Food Marketing Institute  <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/pfseworldfoodtitle-1.tmb-large-350-.png?sfvrsn=27e7576e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="PFSEWorldFoodtitle-1" title="PFSEWorldFoodtitle-1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;" />With <a href="https://www.un.org/en/events/foodsafetyday/index.shtml" target="_blank">World Food Safety Day on June 7, 2019</a>, quickly approaching, we’re reminded that in a world where the food supply chain has become more complex, any adverse food safety incident may have global negative effects on public health, trade and the economy.  FMI and SQFI support World Food Safety Day because it promotes awareness of the importance of food safety and inspires actions for safer food.  With the passing of the Food Safety Modernization Act, progressing technology, and more people developing food allergies, staying informed and trained on the latest trends and studies is essential in the food safety industry.  When management is committed to creating a food safety culture, recalls and market withdraws are reduced, efficiencies are increased, and costs are lowered. As food safety professionals, we can take advantage of training and conferences/industry meetings that provide solutions to food safety problems.  SQF offers many in-person and <a href="http://bit.ly/2LOJxQx" target="_blank">online training</a> options for their stakeholders, and the <a href="http://bit.ly/2M1yvYn" target="_blank">SQF Conference</a> is an excellent event to collaborate and receive practical solutions to food safety and quality questions. To keep food safe, we need a well-trained workforce. A critical issue for accredited third-party auditing in North America is sourcing the next generation of well-trained auditors. As a way to help fill that gap, the <a href="https://www.fmi.org/foundation/food-safety/">FMI Foundation sponsors scholarships</a> for students currently enrolled in food and agricultural science majors at a North American accredited university/college. The scholarship includes a $3,000 scholarship award, an all-expenses paid trip to the SQF Conference, along with global recognition from FMI and SQFI. The FMI Foundation provides further support for food safety initiatives as a founding partner of <a href="http://www.fightbac.org/">the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE)</a>.  PFSE develops and promotes consumer food safety education programs to ensure food safety continues once food leaves the grocery store and is in the hands of the consumer. PFSE offers a variety of food safety resources, including the newly released <a href="http://www.saferecipeguide.org/">Safe Recipe Style Guide.</a>This guide provides specific, concise recipe text to address the four major areas of most food safety violations in home kitchens: temperature, handwashing, cross contamination and produce handling. The guide was inspired by a study in the Journal of Food Protection that shows significant improvement in food safety behavior in home kitchens when recipes contain food safety instructions written into the text. We encourage you to participate in World Food Safety Day raise awareness around food safety at all levels and around the world by joining the conversation #WorldFoodSafetyDay and following food safety guidelines every day. For more information and resources about World Food Safety Day, visit <a href="http://www.foodsafetyday.org/">www.foodsafetyday.org</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.