Contribute to people’s health and well-being every day through our products by transforming high quality ingredients into safe, wholesome products that meet both basic and specific nutritional requirements and offer people everyday solutions that aspire to the Mediterranean diet.
Eating habits and lifestyles have changed dramatically over the last few decades. The main
dietary problems derive from an imbalance between lifestyles and eating habits. A different
approach to eating is required to provide a more balanced approach to the nutritional
requirements of each individual.
OUR NUTRITIONAL MODEL
Barilla is keen to respond to these requirements by offering products that cater for people’s
changing needs. Pasta is one of the pillars of this nutritional model thanks to its contents and the balance between starch and protein. Other products such as sauces, breads and drinks are created and produced following traditional Italian recipes in order to satisfy people’s energy requirements.
RAW MATERIALS
We have always only used ingredients of the highest quality that tradition and scientific
research have proven to be safe for both people and the environment. We are guided by precaution in the selection and use of raw materials: where the safety and health effects of an ingredient are not scientifically proven, we prefer not to use it. We have laid down guidelines for the selection of ingredients and the design of our products’ nutritional profile:
• the selection and use of safe, wholesome, top quality ingredients;
• the use of natural extracts and highly nutritious ingredients to improve products’ nutritional characteristics;
• the adoption of production processes that preserve products’ qualitative characteristics;
• not using hydrogenated fats;
• not using GMO ingredients (Genetically Modified Organisms).
OUR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
A review of our 2008 product portfolio showed that the majority of our products are amongst those recommended for daily consumption by recent nutritional guidelines. More than 75% of the products that we sell worldwide belong to the pasta, soft and dry breads, cereals and toasted breads and vegetable based sauces categories.
We improve continuously the nutritional profile of our products, reducing the salt, sugar and saturated fat content while increasing for example the use of wholegrains that are naturally high in fiber and micronutrients. A detailed redesign exercise to reduce the saturated fat content of the Saccottini line was performed in 2008: breakfast pastries with fillings of chocolate cream, pastry cream and apricot jam.
None of our products contain GMO’s in line with the principle of precaution. We banned the use of hydrogenated fats years ago. We follow specific policies regarding the limited use of chemical additives, in particular artificial colorings.
Each time we acquire a new company, we devise plans to reformulate the products that do not meet our directives. These initiatives are currently focused on some of Harry’s products, the leading producer of breads and brioche in France. The success of these ongoing improvements is demonstrated by the fact that already 99% of our product portfolio is free from artificial colorants and none of them contain hydrogenated fats or oils.
GOOD HEALTH PROGRAMS
We have been a member of the “Gaining Health” project promoted by the Italian Department of Health, since 2007. This initiative is aimed, on one hand at making healthy choices easier, supporting improvements in the nutritional profile of food products, and on the other sponsoring information campaigns that aim to change unhealthy lifestyles. Together with the Italian Association of Food Manufacturing Industries, we are committed to identifying areas of nutritional improvement with particular focus on the salt content of bread.
NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION
In addition to direct investment on products, we believe that to contribute to people’s
daily well-being, more complete and incisive information must be provided. Our products’ characteristics are communicated transparently and responsibly with particular focus on ingredients and nutritional values.
We are also committed to illustrating their best use in terms of portions, recipes, when and how to eat them, in order to encourage consumption in line with healthy eating habits. We promote educational initiatives in collaboration with specialist public institutions that illustrate to school children the importance of healthy eating and physical exercise: we have supported 7 projects in the last 3 years.