The Puzzling Barilla Pasta Lawsuit That Won't End

When scouring grocery store shelves for a starch addition to a meal, the name Barilla is a common contender. The pasta brand was founded in Parma, Italy in 1877, and is still family-owned today, per Barilla. From its humble origins as a single bread and pasta shop, it's ballooned into the largest pasta company in the world, yielding an estimated $4 billion in annual revenue, according to Forbes.

Although you may be familiar with Barilla's classic navy boxes sitting in your pantry, you may not be familiar with the company aside from how their pasta tastes. Well, a lot has been going on for Barilla in the past month, and not all of it is good news. While the company has been busy rolling out a brand new variety of durum wheat-based pasta, per Forbes, people may have been paying more attention to the popular pasta brand because of its recent lawsuit. 

According to Food & Wine, Barilla was recently sued over its seemingly innocent slogan: "Italy's No. 1 Brand of Pasta." While this phrase may seem simple enough on the surface, the majority of Barilla products are actually not made in Italy. Many of Barilla's products that are sold in the U.S. are in fact, made in the U.S., per Barilla. This truth is exactly what made former customers Matthew Sinatro and Jessica Prost file a class-action lawsuit against the company on October 17, per Food & Wine. 

The plaintiffs said they would never have bought any Barilla products if they knew of its true origins. They also pointed to Barilla's use of the Italian flag on its products could allude that Barilla sources its ingredients from Italy, which would also be false. In a statement to Tasting Table, a Barilla spokesperson said on October 22 that the company defends its use of the Italian flag and its slogan because it stamps "Made in the U.S.A." on every box. Despite the stance, a federal judge in California said the lawsuit against the company could still move forward, per Food & Wine.

The plaintiffs hope that this case will force Barilla to stop using the Italian flag on its boxes and are also seeking financial compensation. Until then, you can still say your Penne Alla Vodka is courtesy of Italy's No. 1 brand of pasta.