Camst turns 80 and reveals the relationship between Italians and food. “It's well-being”
Bologna, 27 June 2025 – "The Thin Time". Camst has adopted a bold title to celebrate an important anniversary such as its 80th anniversary . A significant milestone for the cooperative founded on 16 June 1945, almost two months after the Liberation . A story that began with the aim of staying together and giving work to all the cooks, waiters and bartenders in a period of high unemployment. The initiative was born in the Bologna area from an idea by Gustavo Trombetti - former cellmate of Antonio Gramsci in the Turi prison -, just after the end of the Second World War, where Trombetti fought as a partisan. Eighty years that Camst celebrated at Palazzo Re Enzo in a room packed with friends and people close to the cooperative's activity. " Time , for us who deal with services, is what can be transformed into value for ourselves and for others - said Francesco Malaguti, president of Camst - and it is necessary to look at social transformations and try to understand how to best guarantee quality time to those who rely on us, with our food, our staff and our facilities. In particular, in work contexts, it clearly emerges that a quality break is important for the well-being of people, with significant repercussions also on productivity".
For his 80th birthday, Camst collaborated with Censis to write 'Time and food - Food obsession between media representation and consumer behavior', the study that describes the link between digital acceleration, quality of life and food practices. And it outlines the profile of a society that seeks to free itself from the logic of performance and speed: Italians want to live better, to do so they ask for more time for themselves and food is culture, identity and relationship .
Massimiliano Valerii, Censis managing director, and Sara Lena, researcher in the Censis Consumption, Markets and Welfare Area, showed the report. "76.7% of Italians wish they had more time to dedicate to what they love - says Lena -. In an era dominated by haste and multitasking, Italians feel they are living in a condition of 'time famine': 62.2% say they are unable to complete daily activities, while 83.7% feel anxious for this reason. Technology , while multiplying possibilities, has clogged up our days, eroding personal spaces and moments of well-being".
The answer to all this? " Slow down and find time for yourself and food ", according to Lena. In fact, 95.3% of Italians consider time spent at the table in company important, 87.9% would like to have more of it. Furthermore, 69.3% want more time to cook and 69.2% to shop more consciously. Therefore, eating is the antidote to frenzy . And conviviality represents a regenerating moment. As if there was a nostalgia for when we spent more time at the table: "The average time dedicated to meals on weekdays is 60 minutes in total ( 28 minutes for lunch, 32 for dinner ). On weekends it reaches 75 minutes, but the gap between desire and reality remains wide. The average time dedicated to cooking is also limited: 32 minutes on weekdays, 39 on holidays", continues Lena.
Not only nutrition, but also well-being is vitally important, according to Italians. In fact, among employed people, 97% take a lunch break , but only 3.3% manage to dedicate more than an hour to it . Yet, 86.7% consider it an important moment for their well-being and 87.7% believe that a quality lunch break also improves productivity. It is no coincidence that 85% of workers consider it essential to have welcoming and well-organized spaces for lunch in the company, capable of offering healthy food, pleasant environments and flexible hours.
"A real 'wellness café', which also becomes a tool for attracting and retaining businesses," says Lena. It's hard not to feel photographed in these data. "Italians are affected by the acceleration of the pace of life imposed by digital, while the smartphone exerts a fatal attraction, filling every free moment," said Valerii. "This is why Italians place such a high value on moments of relaxation . A better quality of life for Italians means having more time for themselves and for relationships with others, easing away from the frenetic pace of our time."
Mayor Matteo Lepore also arrived at Palazzo Re Enzo, and gave a value framework of what Camst represents: "Throughout its history, the cooperative has always been concerned with work," he said. " The quality of food makes the difference between life and death . This is why it makes sense for a similar activity to operate within the city." Giovanni Paglia, regional councilor for Labor, then spoke: "Camst is made up of workers who do good for themselves but above all for others, whose values have never changed.
The expertsStefano Quintarelli, an expert in digitalization processes, described "the link between work and time in the era of digitalization, the main phenomenon that has enveloped our world". A point of reference for Italian doctors is the scientific popularizer Silvia Bencivelli, who at Palazzo Re Enzo discussed "care and the perception of time in new medicine". The agroeconomist Andrea Segrè closed with the report: "Sustainability. Time's up?". The actor Alessandro Bergonzoni concluded the morning with "Bread in time".
İl Resto Del Carlino
