Matthew Sinatro and Jessica Prost, two customers who bought numerous boxes of Barilla pasta under the mistaken belief that it was produced in Italy, has filed a lawsuit against the pasta maker. Although the company bills itself as "Italy's No. 1 brand of pasta," its goods are really made in Iowa and New York.
According to the lawsuit, buyers claimed that Barilla is misleading consumers with its marketing by further "further perpetuating the notion that the products are authentic pasta from Italy," with its motto and the Italian flag on its packaging.
People hate to be misled when it comes to their food, whether it is incredulity that Froot Loops are actually all the same flavor, regardless of color, outrage that Anheuser-Busch "Ritas" drinks don't contain any tequila, or anger that Texas Pete chili sauce isn't actually created in Texas. This may be the reason why words, particularly those on food packaging, are important, claims one complaint.
On Monday, a federal judge rejected Barilla's request to have a class action lawsuit against the firm for misrepresenting its products dismissed. The company's claim that it is "Italy's No.1 brand of pasta" and the use of the Italian flag's colors on its distinctive blue packaging, according to Judge Donna Ryu, may induce customers to believe that the pasta is produced in Italy.
Although its current headquarters are in Illinois, Barilla began as an Italian bakery and pasta shop. According to Barilla, the purpose of its trademark is not to deceive customers but rather to "invoke the company's Italian roots through generalized representations of the brand as a whole."
Despite the company's online transparency, a judge rejected Barilla's plea to dismiss the case on the grounds that the clients' purchases of the pasta under the false impression that it was created in Italy caused them "economic injury." Sinatro and Prost are asking the court to prevent the brand from utilizing Italian likenesses in its branding in addition to demanding monetary compensation.
If you're curious about Barilla's past, you can actually trace it back to Italy. The company's website states that founder Pietro Barilla established a bakery and pasta shop in Parma, Italy, in 1877. His descendants now operate the business. According to Barilla, there are currently 30 production districts where pasta is produced: 15 in Italy and 15 elsewhere in the world.
This isn't the first time a client has sued a company for misrepresenting the location of a product's manufacturing. A guy from California is suing Texas Pete Hot Sauce, which is created in North Carolina, for misleading advertising, saying that it is undercutting brands that are truly indigenous to the region.
