Sara Forestier: Marketed as ‘Italy’s No. 1 brand of pasta,’ Barilla sued over product not being made in Italy

The Illinois-based company Barilla will face a class-action lawsuit for alleged mislabeled products and deceptive marketing aimed at misleading consumers to believe that the products are made in Italy.

Italy’s ‘No. 1 brand of pasta’ faces a class-action lawsuit over its products that are made in Iowa and New York

Advertised as “Italy’s No. 1 brand of pasta,” the popular pasta brand Barilla will face a lawsuit over allegedly misleading consumers to believe that products made in Iowa and New York were actually made in the motherland of pasta, Italy.

A federal judge on Monday denied Barilla’s motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of misrepresenting its products. Judge Donna Ryu found that the company’s phrase, “Italy’s No.1 brand of pasta,” could mislead consumers to believe that the pasta is made in Italy. In addition to the phrase, Barilla features the green, red and white colors of the Italian flag on the signature blue boxes.

In addition to asking the court to stop Barilla from using Italy’s likeness in marketing and on the alleged mislabeled product, plaintiffs are seeking monetary compensation, claiming they overpaid for pasta.

Barilla originated as a bread and pasta shop in Italy but is now based in Illinois. Barilla argues that its trademark is used to “invoke the company’s Italian roots through generalized representations of the brand as a whole,” not mislead buyers.

The judge’s decision comes on the heels of a similar complaint filed against the makers of Texas Pete hot sauce after a California man learned the product isn’t actually made in Texas.