Hand in Hand Working to Reduce Food Waste

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.

Founding members of FWRA signed an important memorandum of understandingwith three key government agencies – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agreement means the industry and federal government will be working hand in hand to implement food waste reduction efforts across the supply chain. Here’s a breakdown of what’s including in this MOU.

<p>By: Andy Harig, Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development, FMI</p> <p>Solving the food waste problem takes collaboration throughout the supply chain and<img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/hand-in-hand.tmb-large-350-.jpeg?sfvrsn=d047536e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="hand in hand" title="hand in hand" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> recently leaders from the leading food industry associations shared their commitment to this cause:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">“The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) was founded with the conviction that the entire supply chain has a role to play in reducing food waste; food retailers are committed to fulfilling their responsibility in addressing this issue of such tremendous impact for the communities we serve.” – Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">“Food waste remains the single largest category of material in U.S. landfills. By collaborating with FMI, NRA and these federal agencies, the CPG industry can better share best practices to reducing waste and find innovative, scalable solutions to keep valuable material like food and packaging out of landfills.” – Geoff Freeman, President and CEO, GMA</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">“The restaurant industry is one of opportunity, and reducing food waste provides our members with more opportunities to serve our communities and our customers.” – Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association</p> <p>These founding members of FWRA signed an important <a href="https://foodwastealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Signed-Food-Waste-MOU.pdf">memorandum of understanding</a> with three key government agencies – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agreement means the industry and federal government will be working hand in hand to implement food waste reduction efforts across the supply chain. Here’s a breakdown of what’s including in this MOU:</p> <h5>Collaboration and Education</h5> <p>The FWRA and federal agencies will collaborate on a national effort to:</p> <ul> <li>Educate and engage industry members to reduce food waste, including strategies to prevent, recover and recycle excess food.</li> <li>Inform stakeholders of food waste reduction recognition programs currently available at each respective federal agency.</li> <li>Share best practices on successful, creative and innovative solutions to reduce wasted food across industry sectors.</li> <li>Increase industry awareness of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act in an effort to encourage safe and effective food donation and recovery.</li> </ul> <h5>Identify Infrastructure Gaps</h5> <p>Under the MOU, FWRA and federal agencies will collaborate to better understand infrastructure gaps and other constraints to food donation, scrap recycling and adoption of innovative technology in order to identify potential areas for improvement.</p> <h5>Regular Meetings</h5> <p>Through standing internal update calls, FWRA and federal agencies will discuss ongoing education and advocacy efforts related to food waste reduction in food supply chains.</p> <h5>An Open Invitation</h5> <p>Beyond the new MOU, FMI recently participated in a <a href="https://spaces.hightail.com/space/jOJ4gs8s3e">congressional staff briefing</a> on business efforts to combat food waste hosted by the Congressional Food Recovery Caucus. More than 40 Capitol Hill staffers were in attendance to hear representatives of FWRA describe supply chain efforts to increase food donations, find alternative outlets for unused food, and reduce the amount of product sent to landfill. The event highlighted the industry’s extensive donation programs, the GMA-FMI voluntary date labeling effort and was an opportunity to showcase the work of food retailers on this issue.</p> <p>If your company is working to reduce food waste, we welcome you to join the Food Waste Reduction Alliance and share best practices, lessons learned and help our industries and federal government work together towards food waste solutions.</p> <p><a href="https://foodwastealliance.org/" class="button-secondary" target="_blank">Learn More About FWRA</a> </p> <p> </p>

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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.