Longo Speciality, Lifegate, and Ai.Bi. - a constant commitment to those in need.
Save the Farm is a project that allows us to combine two fundamental values: environmental sustainability and human solidarity. It's an initiative by LifeGate with the goal of combating illegal labor practices (caporalato) and supporting small-scale agricultural producers.
The organic fresh fruit harvested has been donated to Ai.Bi. -Associazione Amici dei Bambini (Friends of Children Association) and distributed to families in need. Below is an article from Ai.Bi. testifying to our long-standing collaboration:
"As we approach World Day Against Waste, coming up on February 5th, vulnerable families, mothers, and children in foster care communities receive a donation of half a ton of organic fresh fruit.
For the second consecutive year, Longo Speciality, a leading company in the enogastronomic gift sector, reaffirms its commitment to Amici dei Bambini through concrete actions that add value to the economic system, the territory, and the well-being of the people who inhabit it. This is in complete alignment with the values of sustainability and corporate solidarity.
The recent distribution was the third and final one of fresh organic fruit for the guests of 15 Ai.Bi. and AIBC communities across Cremona, Brescia, and Milan, as well as individuals referred by Family Service Centers—Pan di Zucchero in Salerno and Monghidoro, and partner associations of the Ai.Bi. Campania branch, L'Associazione ODV and Agape Fraterna Onlus.
The first distribution took place in November, and the second in December.
This extensive effort was made possible through a network of partners and points of need on the ground that have collaborated with Amici dei Bambini for years, always with a watchful and respectful eye toward those in need and the need to strengthen community ties by building a model for surplus recovery and food redistribution to support those most in need.
The availability of fresh fruit stems from a cooperative partnership between Longo and the social benefit company Lifegate, one of Italy's leading players in sustainability, engaged in the fight against illegal labor practices and in support of agricultural producers through the "Save the Farm" project. Despite a decrease, in Italy, the value of domestic food waste amounts to 6 billion and 403 million euros, reaching nearly 10 billion euros when accounting for waste in the industrial and distribution sectors (data from Waste Watcher International/Distal Unibo). Fresh fruit is particularly wasted, with nearly 2 kilograms per capita every year.
Given these figures, it is hoped that the increasing attention to food waste prevention will serve as a lever to promote a sustainable development policy based on the values of solidarity, through a community network and with the support of companies like Longo Speciality, which are increasingly mindful of the planet and its inhabitants.”
