Barilla Center For Food And Nutrition Announces Appointment Of New Advisory Board Member

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ellen Gustafson to its external Global Advisory Board. As a pioneer in social entrepreneurship and sustainable food systems, Gustafson is the Founder and Executive Director of the 30 Project, an organization connecting global hunger and obesity and crowd-sourcing long-term food system change.

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Gustafson is also the Co-Founder and a Board member of FEED Projects and the FEED Foundation, a company and non-profit that creates products that have helped provide more than 65 million school meals to children globally. Previously, Gustafson was a U.S. Spokesperson for the U.N. World Food Program.

"We are honored to welcome such an inspiring and accomplished individual to our Global Advisory Board" said Guido Barilla, President of the BCFN and Chairman of the Barilla Group. "Ellen's significant commitment to addressing global hunger and obesity will allow her to contribute an invaluable perspective as we continue to advance our goals at the BCFN."

Established in 2009, the BCFN is a think tank dedicated to exploring global issues related to food and nutrition from a multi-disciplinary perspective. In its first three years, the BCFN has investigated a broad range of topics through published articles, indices and white papers, educational webinars, and public forums, including its annual International Forum of Food and Nutrition that will be held on November 28-29, 2012 in Milan, Italy. Most recently, the Center published a new book with the Worldwatch Institute called Eating Planet 2012, to which Gustafson contributed a written interview about improving access to nutritious foods around the world.

The activities of the BCFN are guided by an Advisory Board composed of experts from diverse but complementary sectors – from climate change to economics. The BCFN Advisory Board proposes the issues and contributes to the analyses under investigation by the Center. Gustafson joins the ranks of seven other distinguished Board Members who bring unique perspectives to the Center.

"I am thrilled to be working with the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition on our joint objective of improving the nutrition of the world," said Gustafson, the newly appointed BCFN advisor. "BCFN's multi-disciplinary approach and commitment to real, open and honest dialogue about the pressing global food issues we face will help put forth strong science and smart recommendations for improving the world's food systems."

For more information about the BCFN, the Advisory Board or Eating Planet, visit: www.barillacfn.com

About the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition: Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) is a think tank founded in 2009 with the goal of analyzing major global issues connected with food and nutrition. For more information, visit: www.barillacfn.com/en

About the Barilla Group

Barilla, originally established in 1877 as a bread and pasta shop in Parma, Italy, ranks as one of today's top Italian food groups. Barilla leads in the global pasta business, the pasta sauces business in continental Europe, the bakery products business in Italy and the crispbread business in Scandinavia.

Barilla owns 43 production sites (13 in Italy and 30 outside Italy) and exports to more than 100 countries. Every year, about 2,500,000 tons of food products under the brands of Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Voiello, Pavesi, Academia Barilla, Wasa, Harrys (France and Russia), Lieken Urkorn and Golden Toast (Germany), Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), Yemina and Vesta (Mexico), are featured on dining tables all over the world.

Barilla has become one of the world's most esteemed food companies and is recognized worldwide as a symbol of Italian know-how by respecting its longstanding traditional principles and values, considering employees a fundamental asset and developing leading-edge production systems.

For more information, please visit: www.barillagroup.com

For further information:

Barilla Group Media Relations Office
Luca Di Leo / Marina Morsellino
T. +39 0521 262217
[email protected]
[email protected]

SOURCE Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition