Where is Barilla pasta made? Class action lawsuit explained

Popular pasta brand Barilla, which promotes itself as "Italy's No. 1 brand of pasta," will be the target of a lawsuit for allegedly deceiving customers. The lawsuit states that the company is misleading customers into thinking that their products made in Iowa and New York are actually produced in Italy.

Recently, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu denied the company's motion to dismiss the suit. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs, Matthew Sinatro and Jessica Prost, had enough standing to move forward with the class action lawsuit.

In their original complaint, the plaintffs claimed that the brand's marketing convinced them to buy several boxes of Barilla spaghetti and angel hair pasta. They claimed that they were under the impression that the pasta was made in Italy with Italian ingredients.

While the brand started as a bread and pasta shop in Parma, Italy, it is now headquarted in Illinois. The company stated that its trademark is used to evoke their Italian roots through "generalized representations" of the brand rather than misguiding their customers.

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Barilla may be looking at rebranding and settlement in future

Sintaro and Prost's complaint alleges that the company's advertising and marketing is deliberately misrepresentative in order to increase profits. They accused the brand of taking advantage of its customers who are willing to pay more for pasta that is authentically Italian, even though it doesn't allegedly use wheat that is exclusively from Italy.

The couple accused the company of making the pasta seem like it was sourced from Italy. Court documents showed the couple accusing the company of "cutting costs and reaping the financial benefits of manufacturing the products in the United States of America."

Additionally, the couple asserts that Barilla unfairly benefits from "unwitting consumers" at the expense of "lawfully acting competitors."

Sinatro and Prost are seeking monetary compensation, claiming that they overpaid for the pasta believing that it was produced in Italy. They are also asking the court to stop the company from using Italy's likeness in marketing and on the allegedly mislabeled product.

The ruling, made in a California federal court, noted that customers could be misled into thinking that the pasta is made in Italy due to the company's claim that it is "Italy's No.1 brand of pasta." The brand also features the colors of the Italian flag, green, red, and white, on their blue boxes. This could also misrepresent the company to the consumers.

The lawsuit has received mixed reactions, and while some people support Sinatro and Prost, others called the lawsuit "frivolous."

Barilla's website contains information about the origin of their products. The FAQ page states that pasta sold in the US is made in their plants in Iowa and New York, with some exceptions. It also says that their Barilla Italy products state "Product of Italy, Distributed by Barilla America, Inc." on the packaging.

The company mentions that their Ames plant was purchased in 1998 and the Avon plant in 2007. Additionally, they state that the company is concerned about "maintaining high quality standards." Barilla noted that the machines in their US plants are the same as the machines in their plant in Italy.

With regard to their recipes and ingredients, they wrote:

"The recipe and the wheat blend are the same as that used in Parma, Italy. [The company] purchases its wheat from around the world, ending up with the best wheat available."

The company was also hit with a class action lawsuit last year. The lawsuit alleged that the company's pasta sauces were mislabeled as containing "no preservatives," despite having the preservative citric acid as an ingredient.

Representatives for Barilla have yet to comment on this current lawsuit.