Philanthropic work with Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and Culinary Careers Program moves the needle on health and wellness education
LYNDHURST, N.J., Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Filippo Berio, one of the nation’s top-selling and long-standing olive oil brands, is promoting healthy lifestyle habits to U.S. consumers through collaborations that focus on educating Americans about the wellness impacts of incorporating healthy choices into their everyday diets. Through its multi-pronged partnerships with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP), Filippo Berio is making inroads in the health and wellness movement, demonstrating how nutrient-dense foods like olive oil can be integrated seamlessly into dietary habits to help prevent diseases plaguing Americans. In 2025, the brand will implement new social responsibility programs, promote educational content and increase event sponsorships to amplify health considerations and its partners’ vital missions.
ADDF and C•CAP logos
C•CAP Summer Training Program
“Olive oil has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, some cancers and inflammation, and recent studies are indicating an association with cognitive benefits,” said Marco De Feo, Vice President of Marketing for Filippo Berio USA, Ltd. “It is our responsibility as an organization and industry to shine a light on this body of research and help Americans adopt lifestyle changes that may lead to a lower risk of disease and a healthier future. Through our work with the ADDF and C•CAP, we are dedicated to contributing to U.S. health and wellness improvements in 2025 and beyond.”
This year, Filippo Berio strives to build on a decades-long collaborative relationship with C•CAP to develop an olive oil-specific curriculum for students nationwide. The curriculum formalizes an ongoing effort to educate more than 25,000 culinary students in over 186 schools about using olive oil as a nutritious and flavorful fat alternative in the kitchen. Students would gain a comprehensive education about this timeless ingredient, including specific health benefits, various culinary applications, pairings, range of varietals, tasting techniques to understand flavor profiles and quality, versatility of use and substitution in various cuisines. Since C•CAP programs can begin as early as middle school, the olive oil-focused curriculum has the potential to influence dietary choices for America’s youth — and their families, as students share their newfound knowledge at home.
“Olive oil is a vital ingredient in the C•CAP culinary experience and curriculum, not only because of its variety of flavor profiles and vast applications, but because of its many health benefits,” said Tanya Steel, Co-Executive Director of C•CAP. “We are thrilled to be working with Filippo Berio to better inform our students and train the next generation of chefs to use healthier, various alternatives to turn the tide on unhealthy eating habits in the U.S.”
Along with spearheading the advanced olive-oil tasting curriculum for students in 2024, Filippo Berio maintained its sponsorship of annual events and valuable scholarship donations. One of the many ways C•CAP and Filippo Berio work together to make a difference in the lives of talented youth is through the Filippo Berio Scholarship that is available to students across C•CAP’s 186 schools throughout the U.S. The Filippo Berio Scholarship helps these youth further their college education, especially for those students who wish to attend culinary and hospitality programs. The brand’s longstanding support in raising, training and educating the next generation of chefs will extend into 2025 and beyond.
In addition to maintaining its long-standing alliance with C•CAP, Filippo Berio is committed to its exclusive partnership with the ADDF, which supports the most innovative Alzheimer’s drug development, biomarker, and prevention programs around the world. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $370 million to fund over 765 research programs in 21 countries. Filippo Berio entered into this collaboration in 2024 to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, contribute crucial funds to support the groundbreaking research funded through the ADDF, and increase overall awareness of lifestyle changes, including adopting a nutritious diet, that may positively affect cognitive health.
“Prevention is a key pillar in the ADDF’s fight against Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Howard Fillit, ADDF Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer. “Delaying disease onset by just five years may result in up to 50% lower prevalence. And studies are showing that lifestyle interventions like a healthy diet and exercise can play a fundamental role. We greatly value our partners, including Filippo Berio, who support us in advancing this critical research.”
In 2024, Filippo Berio sponsored and participated in two ADDF events, the organization’s Seventh Annual Memories Matter and House of Purple fundraisers. In addition to contributing valuable funds, the brand is supporting the ADDF through traditional and social media communication vehicles as well as a national in-store retail activation of branded neck collars placed on Filippo Berio olive oil bottles to further increase visibility of the ADDF’s mission.
“Olive oil has been a dietary staple for centuries, and it is no surprise that research is uncovering a host of cognitive and other health benefits associated with it,” added De Feo. “At Filippo Berio, attention to quality has been consistent throughout our history, reaching back to 1867. We use that same lens in developing all of our products, using simple, uncompromising ingredients and authentic preparations to ensure consumers have consistently great-tasting, healthy choices available in any kitchen — at home or in restaurants.”
About Filippo Berio
The Filippo Berio brand has been committed to creating high-quality olive oil for 157 years. Founder Filippo Berio set forth exceptional standards of olive oil production that are still rigorously followed today, with each bottle sold bearing his signature as a seal of the finest olive oil and the brand’s promise of quality. From distinctive olive oils to a selection of specialty pestos, pasta sauces, wine vinegars, and balsamic vinegars and glazes, Filippo Berio’s portfolio combines the finest ingredients with high production standards. The Italian brand, trusted worldwide, promotes healthy lifestyle and food choices through its commitment to innovation, sustainability and responsible sourcing, delivering great-tasting, accessible products that elevate the at-home cooking and culinary experience. The brand is currently sold in more than 75 countries. In the United States, Filippo Berio is marketed by Filippo Berio USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Salov Group, based in Lucca, Italy. For additional information, please visit filippoberio.com.
About Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP)
Long co-chaired by chef Marcus Samuelsson, C•CAP is an education and workforce development nonprofit that provides the underserved — teens, the formerly incarcerated and work-permitted asylum seekers — a pathway to success through higher-education scholarships, paid apprenticeships and jobs in the food sector.
Annually, C•CAP provides culinary, job and life skills to over 22,000 middle-and-high school students across the United States in more than 186 schools across the entire state of Arizona, as well as in Baltimore, Camden, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City & Long Island, Newark, Philadelphia, suburban Maryland, and Washington DC. This 34-year-old nonprofit founded by Richard Grausman strives to help further food and social justice, as well as equity and inclusion by providing tools for job success. Starting in middle schools, we provide culinary-and-wellness curriculum, and in high schools also provide an integrated approach to employment in the food sector via internships/apprenticeships, job shadows, mentorship, work opportunities, college & career advising, and higher-education scholarships, along with product & food donations. To date, we have worked with 370,000 students and awarded $71 million in college scholarships. C•CAP has transformed thousands of lives in a meaningful way. The urgency to help these diverse communities has never been more critical. Learn more at ccapinc.org.
About The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)
Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer’s disease. The ADDF is the only public charity solely focused on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer’s, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotech industry. The ADDF’s leadership and contributions to the field have played a pivotal role in bringing the first Alzheimer’s PET scan (Amyvid®) and blood test (PrecivityAD®) to market, as well as fueling the current robust and diverse drug pipeline. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $370 million to fund over 765 Alzheimer’s drug discovery programs, biomarker programs and clinical trials in 21 countries. To learn more, please visit: alzdiscovery.org.
Filippo Berio Media Contact:
Hannah Castle, 510-590-0195
[email protected]
SOURCE Filippo Berio
