ROME (AP) – Italy-based pasta maker Barilla is pledging to improve diversity after protests were sparked by an executive’s claim the company would never feature ads depicting gay families.
Guido Barilla, whose company has almost half the Italian pasta market with almost a quarter of that in the U.S., said on an Italian radio broadcast Sept. 25: “I would never do an advert with a homosexual family – if the gays don’t like it they can go an eat another brand.”
Barilla says it has newly established a board to develop diversity goals and strategies. It said in a statement Monday that former F-1 driver Alex Zanardi, who lost his legs in a car crash, and David Mixner, a gay rights activist, agreed to serve on the board.
In September, gays and allies raised calls to boycott Barilla products, which include cookies and bread. Many of the company’s ads depict heterosexual couples with children gathered for meals. The calls were particularly strong in the U.S., where sales account for 10 percent of Barilla’s revenues. Barilla says new ad campaigns are planned.
