Barilla cannot keep away from a class-action lawsuit over allegedly misleading promoting concerning the pasta’s origins, a federal decide dominated this week.
At issue is the model’s slogan “Italy’s No. 1 model of pasta,” which the lawsuit says can lead prospects to imagine it is truly made in Italy. The prospects that filed the lawsuit final yr, Matthew Sinatro and Jessica Prost, stated they purchased a number of containers of Barilla pasta pondering they have been made in Italy.
They additionally stated that Barilla misrepresents its Italian origin as a result of its makes use of the colours of Italy’s flag, “additional perpetuating the notion that the merchandise are genuine pastas from Italy.” They additionally say that with Barilla’s advert marketing campaign as a result of it positions it “as genuine, real Italian pastas—constituted of components sources in Italy (like durum wheat), and manufactured in Italy,” when it is not.
However, as acknowledged on Barilla’s web site, it is not. The pasta is made in Iowa and New York, utilizing the identical machines used its plant in Parma, Italy. Barilla was based in 1877 within the small Italian city and has grown as an “worldwide group current in additional than 100 international locations.”
The decide this week dominated that the pair suffered “financial harm” and offered sufficient proof that they would not have bought Barilla in the event that they knew it wasn’t made in Italy. A field of Barilla can price twice as a lot as a non-public label.
Barilla did not instantly return CNN Business’ request for remark.