FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BARILLA REVOLUTIONIZES SCHOOL LUNCH
Barilla PLUS^TM Pasta Offers Schools a Healthy Meat Alternate and Bread Alternate

BANNOCKBURN, IL (3/29/07) – Barilla America announced today that Barilla PLUS^TM multi-grain pasta may be served as both a meat alternate and a bread alternate to children participating in the National School Lunch Program.  As school districts begin to implement their local school wellness policies, menu planners now have another healthy and delicious option for school meals with a taste and texture that kids will love. Barilla PLUS is available in four varieties – spaghetti, penne, rotini and elbows, each variety offering infinite recipe ideas for meals kids crave.

Barilla PLUS is a good source of protein, fiber and ALA omega-3 fatty acids.  Fiber and omega-3 fatty acids are often lacking in children’s diets.  “Barilla is committed to providing children with high-quality foods that provide balanced nutrition,” said Catherine Terry, Foodservice Brand Manager for Barilla America.

The formulation for Barilla PLUS underwent an extensive review by the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, the federal agency with oversight responsibility for the National School Lunch Program.  Because of the unique formulation, which includes a high-quality protein-rich mixture of lentils, chick peas and egg whites, USDA approved the pasta to contribute 1 ounce of meat alternate and 2 servings of bread alternate in the federally-reimbursed foodservice programs.  Barilla PLUS is the first pasta to contribute both meat alternate and bread alternate to USDA’s menu planning requirements.  Barilla PLUS packages carry a USDA Child Nutrition Label, providing foodservice directors with an assurance of the pasta’s contribution to the school foodservice programs.

Some school districts have already started serving Barilla PLUS to their students.  “Barilla PLUS is a great tasting pasta that kids love,” said Pat Johnson, Foodservice Director at South Orange and Maplewood School District in New Jersey and the School Nutrition Association’s 2006 Outstanding School Foodservice Director.  “We’ve add Barilla PLUS to our vegetables, and now we see students eating the pasta and eating more vegetables, too,” said Ms. Johnson. 

School districts can obtain Barilla PLUS by contacting their local broker.

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About Barilla America, Inc.
The Barilla Group launched its U.S.-based division, Barilla America, Inc., in 1996. Since 1999 Barilla has been the No. 1 brand of pasta in the United States and today produces the fastest-growing pasta brand in the country.  Barilla America brings the same commitment to flavor, convenience, and the highest culinary standards to America as Barilla has offered in Italy for 130 years.  Barilla America employs 238 people at its Bannockburn, IL headquarters and Ames, Iowa plant.

About The Barilla Group
Since 1877, Barilla has been producing pasta and other grain-based foods for consumers around the world.  The company’s basic animating principle has been to make these healthy products affordable to all, no matter where they might be. Barilla has remained true to its entrepreneurial roots over the past four generations, by combining ancient Italian traditions with cutting-edge technological advances.  The result is a globally successful company, built on a foundation of principles that allow for continuous growth to reach ever-expanding goals. The Barilla Group – whose brands include Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pavesi, Voiello, Wasa, Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), Yemina and Vesta (Mexico) and Academia Barilla – is the first Italian food group, headed by the Barilla family for over 125 years. The Group has 27 factories (15 in Italy and 12 abroad). It realizes 30% of sales in volume in more than 120 countries.

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