Pasta Leader Barilla Introduces New Gluten Free Pasta Line

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The gluten-free industry is expected to reach $8 billion in 2013 as more people begin to adopt a gluten-free lifestyle. Pasta is one of the foods that is missed most amongst people who are living gluten-free, and yet the options for enjoying a gluten-free pasta meal fall short, with limited brands and varieties available on store shelves. Now, Barilla, the world's leader in pasta production, is stepping in.

For more than 135 years, Barilla has been committed to making authentic, high-quality pasta for everyone to enjoy. The goal in producing the new Gluten Free pasta line is to offer convenient, versatile and tasty solutions for anyone living a gluten-free lifestyle, ensuring it is readily available at the local grocery store and easy to find.

"Barilla has a rich heritage of delivering quality, trusted products, and we are committed to making sure everyone can enjoy delicious pasta," says Claudio Colzani, Chief Executive Officer of the Barilla Group. "We felt it was important to invest in developing a pasta line for the ever-increasing number of people who are adopting gluten-free lifestyles, ensuring that it delivers the taste and texture pasta lovers expect from Barilla."

Barilla® Gluten Free Pasta is produced in a facility in Italy that is dedicated to gluten-free and is made with a combination of non-GMO corn and rice. There are four varieties in the Gluten Free Pasta line - Spaghetti, Penne, Rotini and Elbows - which will be sold in 12 ounce boxes for $2.39. All four varieties will become available in select retail stores beginning in September 2013, with full national availability in early 2014.

Gluten Free is a strategic addition to the Barilla pasta portfolio and to the pasta category overall. Many consumers who are making the choice to purchase gluten-free products avoid pasta due to negative taste perceptions, high prices and limited availability. Barilla anticipates the new Gluten Free line will bring these consumers back to the pasta they love and trust.

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 41 production sites (13 in Italy and 28 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), 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

Contact:
Erika Torvik
[email protected]
312-240-3039

SOURCE Barilla Group