Barilla gluten-free and Protein Plus pasta
Barilla has expanded its gluten-free and Protein Plus ranges.
 

PARMA, ITALY — Since 2010, Barilla Group has reformulated approximately 360 products to have a better nutritional profile, an initiative designed to put the Parma-based company closer to its goal of being “the preferred brand for people, promoting healthy and joyful eating inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle.”

Barilla shed light on its efforts in its 2016 sustainability report, “Good for you, good for the planet.”

“We want to plan our future around our mission ‘Good for you, good for the planet,'” said Guido Barilla, chairman of the Barilla Group. “To accomplish this we must disseminate a new culture capable of changing the current lifestyle, beginning with new products and processes that are useful to safeguard the planet and the future of our children.”

Barilla reformulated products
Since 2010, Barilla Group has reformulated approximately 360 products to have a better nutritional profile.
 

Barilla reached the height of its reformulation efforts in 2016, when the company said it reformulated 150 recipes by replacing palm oil in all its bakery products with vegetable oils with less saturated fat. Also during 2016, the company launched 17 new whole grain products in the soft bread, pasta, biscuit and rusk categories. The gluten-free and Protein Plus ranges also were extended through the launch of 11 products that included bread, sauces, flour and pasta.

“In general, in 2016, the Group invested €40 million in research and development activities targeted to improve the nutritional profile of its products,” Barilla said.

Barilla said it purchased 190,000 tonnes of sustainable durum wheat during 2016, putting the company on pace to achieve its goal of purchasing at least 250,000 tonnes of sustainable durum wheat in 2017.

Total revenues at Barilla in fiscal 2016 were €3,413 million, up 2% from fiscal 2015. The company said it benefited from growth in Europe, where it achieved a 4% increase in sales volumes and 3% increase in revenues, driven by the pasta and sauce categories. In the United States, Barilla said it increased its market share in the pasta category to 31.4%, due in large part to higher consumption of its classic products (semolina pasta and Pasta Pronto) and to the Barilla Premium Pasta innovative products (gluten-free, collezione and organic pasta).